So This is How it is
by lilsinsta
Summary: Sumi Mitsuki moved into town, where she meets Hao, Yoh, Ren, Lyserg, and HoroHoro, who are rich, popular and nonetheless handsome. Along with Anna, they began to unravel different situations that began occurring.
1. Chapter 1

-1

.:So This is How it is:.

_Why is it that the people that like you, aren't ever the people you like?_

_And the people you like take no notice of you?_

_This is what I wonder…_

_Is it because everyone wants someone better than who they are? _

_Do they expect more?_

_I don't know…_

_This is how people are I suppose…_

_That is why I don't bother to look anymore…_

Anna stared out the window at the rain pouring outside. She enjoyed this kind of weather. It wasn't raining too hard and there was no hot sun burning upon her back. Anna leaned on her hand and her eyes shifted from the sky to the house next door.

A moving truck was pulled up in front of the house and the movers were frantically carrying boxes into the house, trying not to break anything or get anything wet. Everyone seemed to be running around in a hectic frenzy. When the movers finished moving all the big things, they up and left, allowing things to settle down for a bit.

Anna stood up and opened the window. She sat on the ledge and hung her legs outside, taking a breath of the cold air.

A car pulled up in front of the house and a woman and a girl jumped out of the car. They rushed to the back trunk and began grabbing bags. They ran into the house with the things and hastily came back out for more.

_Hmm… They are going to slip if they keep running._ Anna thought as she watched them.

The woman was back for a third trip when the phone rang when she was halfway to the car. Anna saw her turn and ran back into the house. The girl was grabbing another box and was heading towards her house when she stumbled and dropped her things.

_As expected…_ Anna turned towards her room and hopped off the window sill. She grabbed an umbrella and ran downstairs. When she got out the door, she saw the two people she didn't really want to see.

_Oh great, the Asakura twins…_ She trudged towards the direction they were in.

Hao and Yoh was bending down beside her when Anna approached them holding the umbrella over her head. "You know, what you guys are doing isn't helping anyone. She's still going to be wet and her things are still on the ground."

Hao and Yoh looked up at her. "Hey Anna." Then they looked at each other.

"She right you know." Hao stated and lifted the girl up in his arms, carrying her towards her house.

"Yup." Yoh began grabbing the things and followed Hao.

Anna slapped her forehead and followed them. _Are you serious? _She also heard Hao talking on the way to the door.

'You know, you're kind of light. Have you been eating? You're not anorexic are you?'

Anna rolled her eyes. _Is he asking her that?_

When they reached the door, the woman turned around from the boxes she was unpacking and stared at them wide eyed. "Oh my god, my china!" Those were the first words out of her mouth when she saw them dripping wet at her door.

Hao, Yoh, and Anna sweat dropped. Hao placed the girl on the floor and she bowed quickly.

"I'm sorry Mary. I didn't mean it." She apologized.

Yoh placed the wet box on the floor and opened it. He scratched his neck as he looked at the woman. "Um, they're not broken."

She placed a hand over her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." Then it seemed as though she finally really noticed them. "Oh dear, you guys are all dripping wet. Let me find some towels." The woman turned to the boxes behind her and began digging through. Grabbing some towels, she gave each of them one to wipe themselves.

"Excuse myself, my name is Mary Mitsuki. Pleasure to meet you all." She bowed.

"I'm Sumi. Thank you for helping me." The girl bowed.

"No problem. My name is Hao Asakura." He smirked.

Yoh chuckled. "And I'm Yoh Asakura. We live just right across the street."

Anna bowed. "My name is Anna Kyoyama. I live next door to you ."

Mary's eyes twinkled just a bit. "Well this is just wonderful. You guys should meet my daughter, she should be arriving very soon." She peeked her head past them to look out the door. "Oh, there she is. Hold on a sec, I'm going to bring her an umbrella." Mary slipped past them and went out the door with an umbrella.

Anna raised her eyebrows and looked at the wet twins. "So you guys were trying to be all heroic in your pajamas huh?" Noting at the wet muscle shirt and pajama pants they were wearing.

"Come on Anna. I look good in anything." Hao grinned.

"Haha. You look as good as a dead fish." Anna replied.

Yoh cleared his throat. "Um, Sumi is it?"

The girl nodded. Everyone's attention turned on her.

"May I ask if that is your mother? Because I noticed that you called her Mary." Yoh gave a lopsided smile. "You don't have to answer if your not comfortable with it."

"Um no, she's my stepmother and the girl she went out to get would be my stepsister." She smiled.

Anna examined her and distinguished her characteristics at the moment. Her eyes were large and were a light color of brown. If she looked closely, she'd noticed that around the brown was a layer of blue. It was really enchanting. Her hair was brown and a little past her shoulders with a couple of strands of her bangs covering her face. Her ears were pierced twice on both ears and she had a nice figure. She was actually quite cute, and the fact that she was soaked, Hao would be all over her right now, knowing how Hao is.

"Would you like us to help you with moving in? I don't think you could do it all yourself." Hao swung an arm around her shoulders.

_Hmm, there he goes…_ Anna's face dropped to a dull expression as she predicted the future. _And then she would accept his offer and then he would try to woo her and later on she would swoon to his handsomeness and so forth… like all the other girls…._

Sumi smiled. "Thank you." She lifted his arm off her shoulders. "But, I think I can handle it myself."

Anna nearly laughed when Hao's face was amazed for a second and then returned to his calm collected self. _Sounds like something I would say, but without the smile and not as innocent sounding. I like her already._

"I'll still help out anyways." Hao smirked at her.

She shrugged. "If you really want to."

"Shouldn't you change out of your clothes? You would catch a cold, if you stayed in that." Yoh indicated at her wet jeans and shirt.

_Yoh and his kindness… I wonder if he ever hated anyone?_ Anna pondered. _He doesn't seem like the type._

"Thanks, but I'll be alright. I don't get sick easily plus, I'm going to be wet again anyways so no matter." She pointed at them. "What about you guys?"

"We'll be fine." Hao informed.

"Okie dokie. If you say so." Sumi was about to head out the door when her stepmother and stepsister walked in.

Mary pulled in a girl with a short pink skirt and a blue spaghetti strap top. Her pink hair was beautifully curled and she was stunningly gorgeous.

Anna and Yoh sweat dropped while Hao was fascinated, but with his never fazing expression. _She's crazy. It's raining and she's so… so… pink. Oh man… she's one of those type of girls…._

Mary introduced. "This is my daughter, Elizabeth-"

"But, you can call me Liz." She beamed as she closed her pink umbrella.

"Hao Asakura at your service." He bowed and kissed her hand which caused Liz to giggle.

Yoh gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Excuse my brother. My name is Yoh Asakura."

Anna raised her eyebrows. "And I'm Anna Kyoyama." _It's like one of those movies…_

Mary was grinning widely. "I'll leave you guys to get acquainted. Oh Sumi, be sure to bring in the rest of the things." She said before walking into a different room to unpack.

"Okay!" Sumi answered cheerfully. She turned to Anna, Yoh, and Hao, who seemed to notice her again. "I'll leave you guys to get 'acquainted.' I'm going to get the things, so I'll be back." Sumi bowed and walked out the door.

"Um, I'm going to help her." Yoh stated and ran out after Sumi.

Hao watched his brother and dropped Liz's hand. "I'll be back too." He looked at Anna. "You can talk to Anna." He grinned and jogged out the door, leaving Anna and the gorgeous pink princess.

_Oh great…_ Anna walked over to the couch and dropped herself on it.

Liz walked over and sat down on a chair daintily. "So Anna, is your hair naturally blond?"

Anna gave her a bored look. "Of course. You know being natural is the best way to show that you really are pretty. Is your hair naturally pink?" Anna asked.

She giggled. "Of course not! It's pink! Though I wish it were. Listen Anna, I would like to recommend some advice to being as beautiful as I am."

Anna tensed up. _Conceited… I don't know how long I can hold it in._

"First of all, you should sit ladylike, like how my mother taught me. Second of all, you should get rid of that hideous black dress you're wearing and that red bandana. A girl should always look pretty at all times, even when they go to bed. Third, you should always smell nice and look presentable. Keep your nails clean and always wear some sort of accessory. Jeans are kind of an outdated, out-used trend." Liz pointed out. "A girl should never appear cluttered up in front of guys."

Anna bit her lip. She had just insulted her favorite dress. Anna clenched her fists. She disliked the type of girls that put other people down and think they are all superior, just because they are beautiful.

"You know Anna. You are actually kind pretty. All you have to do is fix up your clothes and your hair and WHALA! You would almost be as pretty as I am." Liz smiled excitedly. "I know! I'll do your hair and make-up. How about that?"

"How about not?" Anna sat up straight. "Are you always like this?"

"What do you mean?" Liz asked, but she was getting the hint.

Anna smiled coldly. "Are you always this conceited and talk about nothing but how pretty you are? Do you always think you are more superior than everyone? Especially your sister? I know secretly you were bashing down your sister."

Liz looked shock. "I don't know what you are talking about. Are you talking about Sumi? What does Sumi have anything to do with this?"

"Does that really work?" Anna gave Liz a icy questioning look.

She smirked. "Not really, only on Sumi. You're pretty sharp Anna, I like that."

"Wow, amazing. Something you actually like other than yourself." Anna stated sarcastically. "Now, don't you think it's messed up the way you're acting?"

"The way I act?" Liz laughed. "It's always been like this. No one has said anything about the way I've acted before. So no one is against it. I'm fine the way I am."

"I doubt you're nowhere near being fine and you're far from perfect. Looking down upon others, doesn't that make you-"

"Godly." Liz interrupted. "I may not be perfect, but I'm close as you can get to being a goddess."

Anna rolled her eyes. She was totally full of herself which made Anna want to beat the crap out of her. But Anna decided to use a nonviolent solution… by going off topic." So, how long have you and Sumi been sisters?"

Liz shrugged. "About three years. Her father married my mom." She sneered. "She never called my mom, mom. Always by her first name. I was excited to have a sister my age, but she was totally different from me. Not what I expected at all."

Anna inwardly laughed. _Of course… not that many people want to be conceited and snobby like you_.

She was glaring now. "Sumi never bothers to try hard to be gorgeous at all, not like me. Yet she easily attracts people. Just like when we first got here. It's barely an hour and there are people over. She's clumsy and aimless. She's pathetic and hopeless. A useless person that's too gullible."

_She's talking shit again…_ Anna stood up, about ready to slap her.

Luckily, Yoh had walked in and heard everything Liz had said. "You know, that isn't a very nice thing to say." His eyes looked at Anna standing up, flaring and to Liz, who was trying to look sweet and lovable. He put down the box he was carrying and pulled Anna away from Liz. "Calm down Anna. Don't start anything right now."

Anna opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and shut it. She crossed her arms and watched Liz with her icy glare, while Liz was smiling and acting as if she did nothing wrong.

"Hey, put me down! I don't care how much you can lift!" They heard Sumi's voice coming from outside the door and all of them watched Hao carrying two boxes and Sumi, who was already carrying one, walk through the door.

"Well then, I want everyone to see." Hao answered her back and Yoh sweat dropped when he saw him.

"Um, Hao-" Yoh started, but got cut off when Mary's voice sounded out.

"Hey kids, I'm going to make some hot cocoa, would you guys like some?" Mary asked as she walked into the living room. She stopped and stared at Hao and then to Sumi, who was struggling under the weight of the box she was carrying.

"Yes, Mrs. Mitsuki, we would all like some. Thank you." Hao flashed a smile.

Mary sparkled, because he had called her Mrs. Mitsuki, and beamed back. "Ohoho, you're so polite. I'll bring some right away." She started heading towards the kitchen, but she stopped and added one more thing. "Make sure Sumi doesn't drop that box."

Hao looked down in his arms to see Sumi turning blue under the box she was holding. He quickly place the two boxes on the ground and place her down, but the box went tumbling. Yoh was somehow there at that precise moment and caught it. "Careful Hao. Watch what your doing. Seriously."

"I'm careful… Everything is just fine." Hao smirked. He wrapped his arms around Sumi's waist and pulled her against him. "You want to know something?" He looked down at her. "I think you're cute."

Yoh scratched his head. Hao wasn't getting the hint at all. And to think his brother was smart. The problem was Liz and her mother. It was kind of obvious that they fancied him and since they disliked Sumi somehow, there would be complications. He stole a glance at Liz, who was smiling, but had a murderous look in her eyes.

Anna watched Hao annoyed. Now a normal girl as expected would blush and stammer or some sort. Liz would blush and agree with him for sure because she is that sort of person. And herself, she remembered encountering Hao with that same situation. She had blushed and then slapped him, then told him to stay away from her.

Sumi just stared at him blankly with no reaction. "Thanks I guess. But… Quit touching me. I hardly know you."

Hao leaned in close to her face and whispered seductively. "Why don't we get to know each other better then?"

Anna looked at Yoh, who now stood beside her. "Doesn't that kind of disgust you?"

He shrugged. "I'm used to it now."

"Yeah, some other time though." She smiled, not taking it to a deeper meaning. "Right now I'm going to go change. You should too. You'll catch a cold." She slipped out of his grasp and began heading towards the stairs. "I'll be back you guys."

Anna was about to laugh. That was the first time she met someone like her. She is different from all the other girls Anna have seen. At school, Yoh and Hao were really popular. They attracted a lot of people that they even have their own fan club.

Hao still had on his smirk and the same expression, but you could tell he was surprised. _An innocent one… that's different…_

Yoh was rubbing his face, trying to cover his smile._ For once, someone didn't notice Hao was trying to hit on them… Anna even noticed and avoided him the whole time…_ He raised an eyebrow at Anna and she looked as if she was about to burst. Anna finally buried her face in Yoh's shoulder and tried to muffle her giggles when she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Liz appeared beside Hao and placed an arm around his neck. She leaned against him. "Hey how about you get to know me instead?"

He grinned down at her. "Sounds good."

Anna and Yoh's eyes turned to slits and Anna was peeking over Yoh's shoulder with a dark aura surrounding her. Yoh felt it and shivered. "Maybe we can go explore around the house…" He suggested.

"Anything to get away from them." Anna stated and grabbed Yoh's hand. They were about to head towards the stairs, but Mary entered the living room. She dropped Yoh's hand and plopped herself onto the couch.

"Hey kids! I brought the hot cocoa!" Mary called as she entered and spotted Liz against Hao, but she didn't say anything. She placed the tray of drinks on the coffee table and everyone joined her.

"Thanks Mrs. Mitsuki." Yoh said as he took a cup.

Mary glimmered again. "Ohoho, no problem at all." She sat down on the couch as well as everyone else. "So Yoh and Hao right?"

Yoh nodded, since Liz was laying against Hao's arm. _Hmm, I guess being Mr. Mitsuki's wife made her happy. She gets really happy when we call her Mrs. Mitsuki._

"You guys are twins right? Who's older?" Mary asked with eyes gleaming.

Yoh pointed at Hao. "He is by a couple minutes."

"Oh, what about you Anna? Do you have any siblings?" She smiled at her while she looked at her intensely.

Anna shook her head. "No, I'm an only child."

"Oh that's right. Where are your parents?" She asked.

Anna looked confused. "Mine are at work."

"Ours too." Yoh added, sipping his hot cocoa.

"We usually have the whole house to ourselves, other than the maids and butlers. This is only one of the houses we own. So it depends where they are close to, they'll stay there." Hao informed.

"Oh, I see." Mary nodded, deep in thought. "When they come, bring them over for tea or coffee."

"Sure, no problem." Yoh smiled.

"Yours too Anna." She looked to Anna.

Anna nodded. "Sure, but I have a question. What did you mean when you said 'oh that's right?'"

"Well, I heard about you kids. The Kyoyama family owns a big chain of hotels and the Asakura family owns fairly large business corporations. To think, I'm actually neighbors with such families gets me excited." Mary caught Liz's stare and winked.

Anna rolled her eyes. _I shouldn't have told her my last name._ "Do you mind if we look around?"

"Oh no dear, go ahead, but everything is out of place right now. We're having the designers come in tomorrow to set everything up. Liz can show you around for now." Mary stood up. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"Thanks." Anna also stood up with Yoh, Liz, and Hao.

"Alright. Follow me." She walked to the back and opened the back sliding door. There was a pool and a jacuzzi. She walked back into the house and showed them the downstairs guest room and a game room, which had nothing in it at the moment. Liz walked upstairs and show them her room. "It's pretty empty right now. All the furniture is here, but nothing is unpack yet. I have to wait until tomorrow for them to do my room."

She showed them another empty room and another. "The maid and the butler are coming tomorrow, so these are their rooms." Liz opened the door to the bathroom. "Bathroom's here if you need it and there's one downstairs too."

"This is my parents' room." She opened the door to show a large room. Most of the things were unpacked and set around. It looked almost ready, but still empty. "There's a bathroom for each of the rooms so the bathrooms outside are usually for guests."

"This room is for the cook." She showed another room, it was filled with boxes and bags. "He's coming tonight though."

There was one more room left. "So that room is Sumi's?" Anna asked.

"Yeah." Liz opened the door. It seemed as though she was the only one who had unpacked. Her room was a fairly decent size. There was a television, her computer, dresser, bed, like all the other rooms except that it was placed nicely and plugged in. Her room was decorated and her bed was already made.

"Looks like she already moved in without waiting for the designers huh?" Anna smirked as she looked around. She picked up a picture frame with a picture of a woman in it. The lady was beautiful. Anna assumed that it would be her mother, why else would she have a picture of a woman if it wasn't.

Hao and Yoh sat down on her bed. "Hmm, comfy." Hao grabbed one the stuff animals sitting on her bed and leaned against her pillows.

"So, where did Sumi go anyways?" Yoh asked and at that precise moment a door opened and out came Sumi rubbing a towel against her head.

She stopped, surprised, then smiled. "Oh hi."

Anna put the picture frame back. "Hi, it looks like you're the only one whose actually done unpacking. Were you taking a shower?"

"Yeah. Do you guys want to take a shower?" She asked.

Anna and Yoh shook their heads. "Oh crap, I forgot we're wet." He jumped off Sumi's bed. "Hao get off. You just ruined her sheets."

"Oops." He rolled off her bed and stood up, still holding her stuff animal. "I would have took a shower with you if you told me earlier."

Liz went and stood beside Hao and he placed an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, do you still sleep with stuff animals?" He held up the plush toy in his right hand.

Sumi nodded. "Yup."

Hao raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. And what grade are you in?"

"12th?" replied Sumi.

"Dang. Like us." He indicated at Yoh and Anna, then looked at Liz. "You are too right?"

Liz nodded, batting her eyelashes.

"Well, on Monday, we'll all go to school together. We'll show you guys around." Yoh offered.

Liz happily approved. "Sure, sounds great."

"Yeah, we should be going now." Anna notified.

"Yeah, I need to change." agreed Yoh.

Hao nodded in agreement. "Let's jet."

"Bye. We'll see you on Monday." Anna said as she walked out the door.

Yoh chuckled as he followed Anna. "If you need us, we're just right across the street."

"That's right. Don't hesitate." Hao added. "And if we get bored. We might just come over." He walked out the door with an arm around Liz and her stuff animal under his other arm.

Sumi made a face. _There's no need for that._ Then she realized that he had her stuff animal. "Hey, where are you taking that?" She ran to her door to see that they were already going down the stairs. "Hey, give that back."

Yoh and Anna looked at Hao, who was wearing his usual smirk. "Some other time. I'm keeping this for now. I think it's cute." He didn't look up at Sumi at all, all he did was held the captive toy in his hand and raised it up for her to see.

_He's too far… it'll be pointless to run after him…_ Sumi groaned and went back into her room.

Baka…" Anna sighed along with Yoh. _Hao is being stupid…_"

_Aye Hao… You cause too much trouble…_ Yoh walked to the kitchen with the others. "Bye Mrs. Mitsuki. We'll be across if you need us." He bowed alongside with Hao and Anna.

Mary shone once again. "Ohoho goodbye sweeties. Thank you very much. Take care."

"Bye. You too." They said in a unison as they headed to the door.

Liz waved to them when they walked out onto the porch. "See you guys on Monday."

They waved back to her. "Alright."

"Or earlier." Hao winked… and Liz giggled. He turned to Anna. "Anna, share your umbrella with us."

The sky was sprinkling rain, but it wasn't as bad as before. Anna glowered. "You guys should have brought your own umbrella instead of just running out like that."

"Come on Anna." Hao went under her umbrella anyways and Yoh joined her on the other side. "Walk us to our house first since you have the umbrella."

"Hell no." She stopped.

"Please Anna?" Yoh gave her the 'puppy eyes.'

She glared and went back to walking. "Yoh, you're brother is a bad influence on you."

"I know." Hao answered.

"You should teach him how to be respectful." Anna continued.

"I am respectful!" He cried out.

"And not to order people around, ESPECIALLY when he needs them."

"I don't need you!"

Anna turned to look at him with a menacing stare. "Then get out from under my umbrella."

"No!"

Yoh sweat dropped when he felt Anna's dark aura exploded around her. "Hao, just say sorry. Please. Otherwise, you'll be drenched in mud."

Hao glanced at Yoh, who was giving him a nervous pitiful look. His eyes grew wide knowing Yoh might be right. "Sorry Anna. I was just kidding. You know I love you."

"And a hundred other girls." Anna calm down a little bit, but she was still glaring. Yoh let out a relieved chuckle.

"Haha. That's not true. I don't love a hundred. I love a thousand more." He joked.

Anna frowned at him. And surprisingly so did Yoh.

"I'm just kidding." Hao placed his hands behind his head, even with the stuffed toy in his hand. "So yeah, what did you think of Liz? I'm thinking about asking her out."

"You don't want to know about my opinion." Anna replied. She was about to say 'You just met her,' but then Hao was always like that. She could imagine his reply already. He would say 'So? She's hot.' and he would still do what he wants anyways.

Yoh looked at his brother. "If you want to know, she talks crap about people behind their backs. But, it's your choice on what you want to do."

"Oh, okay." Hao grinned. "I'll do it. Thanks Yoh."

Anna and Yoh was wearing a bewildered expression. They looked at each other and shared the same thought. _I don't want to ask._

They reached Yoh's and Hao's house and Anna stopped. "Okay. We're done here."

"Yeah. Thanks Anna. You're the best." Yoh grinned at her.

"Yup. You're awesome." Hao praised.

Anna glared at him in reply, then noticed the toy. "What are you going to do with that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Keep it? I'll think about it later." He waved to her as he started to walk into the house. "Later Anna."

She gave Yoh a questioning look, but he shrugged. "Sometimes I still don't understand him." He ran after his brother. "Bye Anna."

She waved to him and started to head back across the street to her house, when they disappeared through their door. _Hmm… So that Hao is going to go out with that pink snobby princess eh? That's interesting… I wonder who's more conceited? Umm… most likely the pink princess. Even Hao didn't talk about himself that much when I first met him._

Anna thought back to meeting Mary Mitsuki. _It seems that pink princess's mom took more interest in us when she found out our names. Her last name was Mitsuki huh? I bet that was the Sumi's father's last name. Which would explain why she was happy when we called her 'Mrs. Mitsuki.'_

There was something familiar about that name when Anna thought about it. _Mitsuki… Mitsuki… Mitsuki… Oh… I heard that name before…_ She recollected her memory when her parents were discussing things during dinner. _It must be dad's new friend. He recently became owner of some companies. Not as big as my parent's or the Asakura's, but he's starting._

Anna remembered that Mary was Sumi's stepmother, not her real one. _Hmm… so that's his new wife… a gold-digger… I'm going to have to ask dad some stuff when he comes home tonight._

She reached her room and dropped herself on her bed. Anna was thinking all the way back, that she didn't even noticed that she got to her room that quickly. She sighed as she stared at the ceiling.

_Hao is a flirt and rude while Yoh is kind and caring. They are total opposites. Interesting how things work out…_

_Monday is going to be entertaining… Their fan clubs are going to go wild… Funny… I wasn't even thinking about them until I saw them… Actually I never really thought about them… until now… why?_

She sat up and looked around. It was just her at home and maybe the maid and butler. It was rather lonely and quiet. She laid back down against her pillows. Usually she would spend all day watching romance dramas, but since she actually went outside today and talked to people, she realized how isolated she was from the world. _It's lonely and boring… But ever since today, everything seemed like a television show… itt was rather interesting… now all we need is a person to fall in love with a person least expected… Damn… I think those dramas are getting to my head… Because… I… No… I don't…Nope… I don't… _

_You're lying to yourself… You can admit it… _

_Hell no… Admit what?_

_You know… Don't deny it…_

_I don't want to…_

_No one else has to know… Just don't lie to yourself…_

_Great… Just great… I'm lecturing myself…_

_Yeah… So just say it…_

_Fine… But… No one else will know right?_

_Girl… This is inside your head… Of course no one will know…_

_Alright… Alright… I know…_

Anna sighed again and closed her eyes.

_This is stupid…_

_Hey… It's for yourself…_

_Okay okay…_

_Um…I think… secretly… I want… maybe… I want… maybe… to fall… in love…_


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, I know I'm not that great of a writer and stuff, but yeah this is fun. Things usually don't go my way when I write, so it changes frequently. I don't really like decribing things, which isn't good, but I'll try, so bear with me. Feel free to give me ideas and such. If there's any questions, ask me. P

So here we go!

.: So This is How it is:.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. **Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEEP. BEEEP! **(You know this is really annoying.)

Anna awoke to the sound of her alarm clock ringing noisily. She slammed her hand against the snooze button, but it didn't go off. Anna groaned angrily. Grabbing the clock, she threw it across the room, hoping it would just break and die.

However, to her annoyance, it hit the wall and still kept beeping. She covered her head with her pillow, trying to block off the noise. "SHUT UP WILL YOU?'

The beeping stopped.

"Ms. Anna. The clock can't go off just because you throw it and yell at it. You have to switch it to off."

Anna lift her head from underneath the pillow to look at the butler holding her clock. "I know that already."

"Alright then. You should should get up and prepare for school. It's Monday. You won't want to be late." The butler placed her clock on the table beside her bed. "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes." He turned and left her room.

Anna sat up and yawned. _It's Monday already._ She stretched her arms and stood up. The sun shone through the window and the sky was blue. Anna went to her window and opened it. She looked across to the room in the house next door and saw Sumi sleeping in her bed.

She leaned her head out the window and called out her name. "Sumi! Sumi! Wake up!"

The girl in the bed didn't even stir. Anna sighed and leaned back into her room. She heard pounding at Sumi's door and shouting, but she just went on sleeping. Anna giggled at the sight and shrugged. _I'll leave it to them._

She grabbed her uniform and changed into it. Yup, apparently her school was one of the schools that had a dress code to follow. It wasn't entirely bad looking, but it was just that everyone looked the same.

When she finished, she was wearing a short black skirt with a white shirt and a black striped tie. She combed her blond hair, grabbed her backpack, and ran out her door and downstairs.

There was pancakes and eggs sitting on the table waiting for her already. Anna sat down at the table and looked at the butler. "Where are my parents?"

"Oh, they left early to work today Ms. Anna. They said they'll be back for dinner." The butler replied.

"Okay. Thanks." She began eating her breakfast and when she finished, her butler asked her.

"Ms. Anna would you like me to drive you to school today? Or would you like to drive?"

Anna thought for a bit. "I think I'll drive, thank you."

"Alright. Drive safely." He bowed to her as she walked out of house.

--------------------------------------

Liz awoke bright and early, excited for the first day of school. She looked around her pink fluffy room and squealed happily. In a flash, she hopped out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom. She took a shower, did her hair and nails, and put on make-up. Lastly, she changed into the uniform and showered herself with perfume.

Liz flashed a smile in the mirror. _This is exciting! I can't wait! School hasn't even started and I've already became friends with the most popular people in school. I know this is going to be great!_

Hao had came over the day before and told her that he was going to drive her to school. _Showing up in Hao's car is going to give me a good start for my reputation._ Liz gave another happy cry. He was so damn gorgeous to her and the fact that he's rich made it even better. Yoh was beautiful too, but it didn't seem like he had any interest in her. It would've been fun to have both of the twins. _Oh well, one is good enough... _

Liz walked out of the bathroom, but not before checking to see if she looked alright once more. "Okay. I'm good." She grabbed her bag off her chair and walked out of her room.

"Sumi! Sumi! Wake up! I've been banging on this door for fifteen minutes and you're still not up? Get up! You have school! Sumi! Now this is why I told you not to lock the door! Hey! Wake up already! Sumi! SUMI! OPEN THIS DOOR!" The young maid was pounding Sumi's door and screaming on top of her lungs. She seemed to be pretty tired already, perhaps from all the screaming.

"Could you yell any louder?" Liz made a face and the maid turned around to see Liz give her a disgusted look.

The door behind the maid finally opened and it revealed a sleepy looking Sumi, who was rubbing her eyes and still in her pajamas. "Morning Hitomi."

Liz scoffed and went downstairs with a humph.

The maid turned to Sumi. "Morning Sumi. I've been banging on your door for fifteen minutes. What have you been doing? Didn't you hear me?"

"I was sleeping Hitomi." She yawned. "I swear I didn't hear a sound."

Her face relaxed and she gave a sad smile. "Figured that would be like you..." She paused. "It seems that Ms. Liz doesn't really like me."

"Nah, don't take it to heart. She's always like that." Sumi assured. "She's like that to me too."

Hitomi sweat dropped. She didn't want to tell Sumi that Liz didn't like her too. "Ahaha, you're probably right. Now hurry up. you're late. It's your first day of school."

Sumi's sleepy eyes now shot wide open. "Ah! I forgot!" She ran around her room grabbing things. "Hitomi! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"I tried!" The maid shouted. "You just wouldn't open your door!"

"Ah! I'll tell why I lock it you later. I'm going to change okay?"

"Alright, but what do you want for breakfast?" Hitomi asked quickly.

"Just give me some cookies in a bag!" Sumi shouted as she shut the door.

_Cookies in a bag? That's not really breakfast._ Hitomi shrugged and went down the stairs.

She had just moved in yesterday along with the butler and the cook had moved in the night before they did. The three of them were pretty young, she was twenty-three, the butler and cook were twenty-five. Mainly, the reason they were working there was because Liz had told Mr. Mitsuki that if they were to get maids and butlers, they would have to be young, otherwise it would be boring or something of that sort. When she first came, immediately she and Sumi had gotten along pretty quickly, perhaps that was why Ms. Liz had disliked her.

However, of course everyone would get along with Sumi, she was really nice and not as demanding. She had told everyone to just address her as Sumi and asked if it was alright if she called them by their first name.

Hitomi reached the kitchen to see Liz eating her breakfast and flirting with the cook and butler. "Yuki, could you get me some cookies and put it in a ziplock bag?"

The cook turned away from Liz to glance at Hitomi. "Is that all Sumi wants for breakfast?"

"Apparently so." She answered.

They heard a scream upstairs and a lot of crashing noise.

The three looked towards her room, while Liz was quietly sipping on her orange juice. "Should I go check?" The butler, who was Hiro, asked.

"Yeah, I'll go get the cookies." The cook, Yuki, turned to the kitchen and the butler went to towards the stairs.

Liz stood up. "I'll be going now." She walked towards the door with Hitomi following behind.

The maid bowed. "Goodbye Ms. Liz. Have a good day."

Sumi was running down the stairs about the same time Liz was about to leave and the butler was going up the stairs. "Ms. Sumi, please be care-"

She slipped and crashed into him and both of them slid down the stairs.

Liz stopped and stared at them. She shook her head and sighed in frustration.

"Owwie. I'm sorry! Are you alright Hiro?" She was lying on top of him and inches from his face.

Therefore... his first response after his head stopped spinning was... to blush... and stutter. "I... I... Um..."

Sumi quickly pushed herself off of him and jumped up. "Hitomi! Come help me! I think I gave him a concussion!" She spotted the cook walking towards them with the bag of cookies. "Yuki! What do I do?"

Laughter was heard, so everyone turned to the door. An arm went around Liz, and guess who was laughing?

It was Hao. Yoh and Anna were standing behind him with a look that seemed like they were resisting themselves from hitting him.

"What's so funny?" Sumi asked, looking at Hao who was wiping tears from his eyes and Liz who was smirking.

"You." replied Hao. "I can't believe you fell down the stairs. I'm glad you didn't get hurt, but your first response was 'Owwie.' Ahahaha. That's hilarious. Then you panicked thinking he has a concussion, when the reason was because he was embarassed." More laughter. "He only fell down four steps, there's no way he can have a concussion."

Sumi pursed her lips. "How would you know?"

"Oh I know." He answered back. "Anyways, hurry up. I'm driving us all to school." They all turned around and walked out the door to his convertible car.

"Yoh, smack him." Anna whispered.

Yoh shook his head. "No way."

She crossed her arms. "He was being rude and cruel. He totally embarassed Sumi's butler and Sumi."

Yoh shrugged. _Hmm..._

When Liz heard what Hao said, she felt a little disappointed. She was only hoping for her and Hao and maybe Yoh, but not Anna and Sumi to come along. Sumi had told her yesterday that she was going to walk to school. She sighed inwardly. _Sumi always seems to ruin my plans somehow._

Sumi kneeled beside the butler who was now sitting up. "I'm really sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded. Hitomi and Yuki also bended down.

"You don't look like you broke anything, so that's good." Hitomi said.

Yuki turned to look at Sumi. "Just be more careful next time. We got this, so go to school." He handed her the cookies. "Here you go. Take care."

"Are you sure?" She asked worried.

Hitomi reassured her. "We're sure. Don't worry about this. You just worry about yourself."

Sumi hesitated and stood up. "Okay, I'll leave this to you guys."

Hitomi and Yuki also stood up. They bowed. "Goodbye. Take care."

"Ahh! No, don't do that. Not to me please?" Sumi awkwardly raised her hands to signal them to stop. "It makes me feel uncomfortable."

Hitomi looked at Yuki and they shared a glance. "If you say so." She smiled.

She relaxed and returned the smile. "Okie dokie. I'm off." She was about to run out the door, but paused for a second. "Oh and Hiro?"

He looked up at her. "Yes Ms. Sumi?"

"Just call me Sumi, okay?" She grinned and waved as she ran out the door to the car where everyone was waiting.

Hao honked. "Hurry up!" He called out.

Liz was sitting in the front with Hao and Sumi hopped in beside Anna. Yoh was sitting on the other side of Anna, so he leaned forward to look at her. "Are you alright?" Hao had already zoomed down a couple blocks the moment Sumi closed the door.

She was stuffing the cookies into her backpack as she answered. "Yeah, I'm just fine." She smiled. "I was going to walk to school."

"If you did, you would have been late." Anna stated. "There was no way you would've gotten to school on time."

"Oh, you're probably right." She giggled. "Because I don't even know where the school is."

Anna sweat dropped. "That's great." _Who knows where she would end up._

"So do you always go to school with them Anna?"

"No... I was going to drive to school, but **these** two took my keys and insisted that I ride with them." Anna glared. "Oh, by the way who has my keys? I want them back." She turned to Yoh. "Do you have my keys Yoh?"

Yoh chuckled and shook his head.

"Of course, Yoh wouldn't have it. He's so nice that he would just give it back to you." Hao smirked. "I'm keeping it for now dear Anna."

"Damn it Hao! I want my keys back." She tilt forward and placed him in a choke hold. "Give it back!"

He coughed when Anna's arm went around his neck. One arm grabbed Anna's arm and the other was trying to keep control of the steering wheel. "Anna, quit it."

A car came out and he swerved around it, causing it to honk at him. Liz screamed and Yoh grabbed Anna. "Anna stop. This is dangerous." He said as he tried to pry Anna off.

"Hell no! This is the only time he's vunerable." She shouted and kept her grip tight.

"Anna! We could die!" Yoh cried out.

She still held on. "No, we won't. It's Hao's job to keep us alive."

The car sped faster and Liz began screaming once again. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

They zoomed into the school parking lot and all the other students were watching them. They spun and slid into a parking spot perfectly. Hao stopped the car and grabbed Anna's arms off his neck. He pulled her forward so she was smacked against the back of his seat. He turned his head so he could look at her with the corners of his eyes and smirked. "Don't do that again Anna, and for **that,** I'm keeping it longer. I was going to give it back to you once we got to school, but I change my mind."

"Hao, you're a bastard." Anna growled viciously.

He let go of her arms. "And you're impatient."

Anna rubbed her arms and scowled.

Yoh sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

Liz was gasping for air and her heart was pounding so fast that it felt like exploding. It was the first time she felt like that. Hao leaned close to her face and asked. "Are you doing alright?"

She blushed. "Yeah. That was a bit dangerous though."

Hao laughed as he leaned back and he look to the back seat, only to see Sumi sitting there with a dizzy expression. "You won't want to know what I do when I'm bored then." He jumped out of his car and looked back at them.

Everyone followed and got out of his car. "Follow me. I'll show you guys the office so you can get your schedules right?" Hao looked at Liz.

She nodded and followed him, along with Yoh and Anna trailing behind. Anna glanced back at the car and saw Sumi with an amazed expression, awing at the area around her. It was rather pretty, with the trees and designs, but the students hardly noticed it.

"Sumi! What are you doing? Hurry up!" Anna called out.

"Oh." Sumi grinned and ran after them.

Before they entered the school, Hao's and Yoh's friends stopped them. "Yoh! Hao!" A voice called out and they turned around to see three guys and two girls run up to them.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Yoh greeted cheerfully.

"The sky." Replied the blue haired boy and Yoh laughed. He noticed Anna and two new people with them. "Hey why is Anna hanging out with you guys? And... who are they?"

Anna shot the boy the coldest glare ever and he gulped. Hao placed his arm around Liz and with his other arm he pulled Sumi's arm. "This is Liz," he tilted his head to her side. "And this is Sumi." He introduced, lifting her arm.

Sumi pulled back her arm and bowed. "Please to meet you."

The blue-haired boy flushed a little. "I'm HoroHoro."

"I'm Ren." Sumi's eyes met dark black ones. He had a accent so she could tell he wasn't Japanese.

"I'm Lyserg. Please to meet you." A green-haired boy bowed to them.

"Hi! My name is Pirika. I'm HoroHoro's little sister. And this," The blue-haired girl pushed a shy pink haired girl in front of her. "is Tamao."

"Pl-pleasure to meet you." She stuttered as she looked at the floor. She gave a quick peek up at Yoh and saw him smiling. Her eyes quickly shot back down to the floor as she reddened.

Liz was beaming. "Wow! Your hair is pink too! That's awesome!"

Tamao was caught off with her reaction. "Y-y-yeah. Um, thanks." She gave a small shy smile to Liz.

"Alright, shall we go to the office now?" Hao gave Liz's shoulder a squeeze.

"Yeah." Liz flashed a smile at the three other guys, making them slightly color.

Yoh signaled them to follow. "Come on you guys."

The three tailed them, keeping a watchful eye on Liz. How could they not? She was gorgeous.

They walked into the school with everyone staring. Sumi was trailing behind all of them, admiring at everything she saw. She didn't even noticed that the people were staring. _Wow... This place is huge! This is so pretty! Ahh! I guess this is what rich kids live like._

"Yoh, what is this? This is their first day and you guys already know them." HoroHoro asked as they walked.

Ren crossed his arms. "As expected of these two. We can't tell what's going to happen next. One day they nearly blow up the science department and the next, they show up with new girls."

Yoh chuckled. "Don't make it sound so bad Ren. They just moved in across the street from us and we were helping out, so I guess that's how we get to know them. I wouldn't have even bothered if it wasn't because Hao saw a girl and wanted to go help her."

"They ran out in their pajamas." Anna added plainly.

"Figures." Lyserg shook his head and looked in front of them to see Hao walking with his arm around Liz and Pirika closely following him. She was dragging Tamao along, who looked as if she would rather be with them talking.

"Actually, he saw Sumi first, but Sumi had no clue that he was hitting on her. So he moved on to her." Anna informed and all of them looked behind them to see Sumi marveling at everything around her. "As you can see, she's too..." Anna paused, she couldn't think of the word that moment. "Well, she doesn't seem like his type."

Yoh, HoroHoro, Lyserg, and Ren nodded in agreement.

Anna heard whispers and saw the students watching them with dreamy expressions as they passed. A pissed off expression grew on her face as she walked. _These pathetic losers attract too much attention._ She saw a large group of girls peeking out from behind some walls and another group and another group. They reminded her of Whack-A-Mole with those things popping out and sinking back in. _Great, look it's their fan clubs. I bet they are taking down our faces, so they can mob us later. This is going to give them a good reasons to attack me. I don't even want to be here, I should be doing other things._ Anna stopped walking.

Yoh stopped to look at her. "What's wrong Anna?"

"You know what I just realized? Why am I with you guys right now? I don't belong here with you people. To tell you the truth we're not even on the same level of existence, so I'll see you guys later." Anna waved and turned to walk in a different direction. "Tell Hao he better give me back my keys or else."

Yoh grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Whoa. Wait a second Anna. What are you talking about? Who said that? I've always thought we were friends. I know we don't hang out, but we're friends."

"Look, you guys are up here in this school and I'm down here. I'm practically invisible and **I** happily would like to stay that way. I don't like how people watch every move you make. And it's completely random how suddenly I'm seen with you people." Anna glared.

"Do you care what others think? Because you shouldn't Anna. I didn't think you were the type to care. And if you don't want people watching, then I'll just go tell them to go away for you. Would that be alright?" Yoh asked.

Her heart skipped a beat. _What did he say?_ "No! I don't want you to do anything. Can't you just let things be? I just want to do what I want." She pushed his hand off her arm. "Just how well do you understand how things work around here? Sure you guys run this school, but do you know the little things that happen? You people are secretly protected without you knowing. The only people who are allowed to get close are those in your fan clubs. I've saved at least five people that you helped from those vicious girls. Therefore, quit being so nice Yoh. You don't understand."

"What?" Yoh laughed out air. "Are you serious?"

Anna shrugged. "You don't have to believe me."

Yoh looked at the ground. He trusted her. He didn't believe she would make up lies because she didn't seem like that type of person. _Assuming what Anna said was true, we're probably being watched right now, so Anna's going to be in trouble later... _Yoh sighed. _Man, I knew I had a fan club, but I didn't think they were going to be rough to others._ "Since this all happened already, shouldn't you stick close by us then?"

"I have a different first period than you Yoh." Anna stated a matter-of-factly. "I don't need to stick close by you guys. Why do I need to do that?"

Yoh was thinking hard, completely ignoring her question. "I should ditch and... I'll go to class with you!"

Anna smacked his head. "Are you listening to me?"

"Ow Anna. That hurt." Yoh rubbed his head. "I was listening. It's because you might be in trouble."

Her heart skipped another beat. She crossed her arms. "Why should you care? It has nothing to do with you."

"Because I do. And..." Yoh grinned. "It does have to do with me, I'm causing trouble for you." He scratched his head. "Hao too, but he's a little preoccupied to notice anything right now."

"I'll survive. Just let everything be. I think-" She was cut off when Sumi crashed into her. She fell forward and crashed into Yoh. All three of them went tumbling to the ground like dominoes.

"Oof." Sumi landed on the ground on her back. She turned her head to see Anna spawled over Yoh. "Oops... Sor-"

"What the hell was that Sumi?" Anna roared.

Sumi rolled away from her and push herself up. She bowed furiously. "I'm sorry Anna! I wasn't looking where I was going. Gomen! Gomen!"

Anna realized her position and blushed. "Idiot!" She hit Yoh and jumped up.

"Anna! Why'd you hit me? You're the one who fell on me." Yoh stood up, rubbing the spot that Anna hit.

Anna glared at Sumi, whose eyes grew wide. "Sumi..."

Sumi already started running before Anna said anything else. "Ekk!"

"Hey! Why are you running? Let me finish what I say first!" Anna shouted and ran after her, leaving Yoh standing there confused.

Hao and everyone else was a couple feet away, when they realized that they were missing people. He had looked back to see Anna and Yoh talking, then Sumi bumped into them. He surpressed his laughter and asked Liz. "How many times does she knock into things?"

Liz's reply was dull. "At least once every two hours."

Hao smirked. _Entertaining. Hmm... and it looks like my brother found himself a playmate. About time._

Everyone was also watching them. Tamao and Pirika sighed. _What can I do?_

Sumi zoomed past them with Anna right behind her. "Ahh! Anna! I said sorry already!"

"Alright. You're forgiven! Stop running!"

"If you stop chasing me."

"No running or yelling in-" A teacher walked out of his classroom and into the hall shouting, but...

You know what happened...

Sumi collided right into the teacher.

"Ooo..." Everyone winced and Hao couldn't control himself this time so he bursted out laughing.

Anna reached them and immediately pulled Sumi into a standing position. She pushed her head down and herself also bent down. "We're sorry Mr. Yuu. We won't ever do that again."

He was sitting on the floor with his hand to his head. "I'm sorry Anna, but I'm going to have to write you up. That was a danger hazard. I need to enforce the rules around here otherwise I wouldn't be doing my job. Now what's your name?" The teacher stood up and looked at Sumi.

"Anna, I'm dizzy." She grabbed her shoulder and leaned her head on it, closing her eyes.

Yoh stopped beside Anna and quickly bowed. "Morning Mr. Yuu. She's new here, so this is her first day."

"Alright, that still won't excuse her from breaking a rule." He looked at Anna, then at Sumi.

"Come on Mr. Yuu. She doesn't know the rules yet. And Anna, you know she isn't that type of person. She didn't mean it. It's probably going to be a once in a lifetime thing for her." Yoh persuaded.

"That won't work, Yoh. Now what's her name, otherwise I'll write you up too." He pointed at Yoh then looked at Sumi, who was still laying on Anna's shoulder. "Missy, what's your name?"

"Yoh, you have to be more forceful." Hao's voice appeared behind him. Everyone was standing behind Hao and Liz was beside him.

Yoh turned to look at his brother and gave him a shrug. "Sometimes it works my way."

"Mine works all the time." Hao raised his eyebrows and turned to the teacher. "Mr. Yuu," he bowed. "This girl," Hao grabbed Sumi's arm and pulled her off Anna's shoulder. "Is a new student, as you can see." Everyone sweat dropped to see her half asleep. "As Yoh said, she doesn't know the rules. Yoh and Anna don't have any reason to be written up at all. You can't write them up for not telling you her name. It is her personal information. Whether she decides to tell you or not, is up to her. As for Anna's running and screaming. She was trying to stop this girl from running. She was running from fear, you can't be angry at someone who's running from something they are afraid of." Anna popped a vein on her forehead. "Anyways, if you write Anna up, it would be like you're condemning a person to jail when all they did was jaywalked to save a little kid from being hit by a car."

HoroHoro, Ren, and Lyserg snickered. _Nice comparison. _Ren saw that Liz and Pirika were sparkling with so much admiration, like they'd seen a god or something.

"Nice try Hao Asakura. You and your tactics won't work on me." The teacher sneered.

"Oh, I wasn't done yet." His voice became harder and tenser. The joking feeling was gone now. "My parents send large amounts of funds to this school. You know that. If I were to tell them to stop, the school would have less money and either you may have your paycheck deducted or you could as well be fired, leaving you jobless. It is pretty hard to find a job if I inform the media to display information notifing all job opportunities to be close to a man named Tooya Yuu. Your life would be ruined. I can change and alter everything with the power that we hold. So I say you should stick with Yoh's style and agree with Yoh, otherwise if you choose to face me, you'd have nothing left." Hao smirked. "I'm not as kind and caring as my dear brother. I'm the total opposite."

Anna was holding her breath. _Damn Hao, he's abusing his power._

Mr. Yuu was speechless for a second. "I-"

"Before you say anything else, I just want you to know. The ownership of this school, will soon belong to us." Hao informed. "If you don't mind Mr.Yuu, these new students have to get their schedules. We'll be on our way now so we won't be late to class later." Hao gave his head a slight bow and dragged Sumi along. Yoh gave Anna a slight tug and she followed them dumbfoundedly. The rest of the group followed them quietly, giving Mr.Yuu a bow with the head as they passed.

_So that's how they work. No wonder they run this place. It's scary how much power they hold. I wonder if they're parents are like that._ Anna stared watching Hao pulled Sumi's arm.

Liz scowled as she walked behind Anna and Yoh, forgotten by Hao.

"Don't scowl, it doesn't suit your face." Ren noted, not looking at her.

Liz glanced at Ren surprised, then smiled. "You don't look Japanese."

He gave her a grin. "That's cause I'm not. I'm Chinese."

HoroHoro and Lyserg now walked on the other side of Liz. "So are you and her sisters?" HoroHoro asked.

"Yeah, apparently so." She answered drearily.

"You guys don't look like it." Lyserg pointed out.

"That's cause we're **step**-sisters." Liz shrugged. "Are your hairs naturally colored like that?"

HoroHoro looked at Lyserg's hair and Lyserg looked at HoroHoro's. "Yeah. My hair is naturally blue." HoroHoro answered.

"Mine's green. All nat-tur-all." Lyserg nodded.

"Isn't blue and green a strange color for hair? Naturally that is?"

"I think so..." HoroHoro replied slowly and Lyserg shrugged.

"Well, they're naturally strange as for personality and they have the odd color hair to match that personality." Ren declared.

"Hey!" HoroHoro and Lyserg shouted as Liz giggled.

_This group of friends consists only of hot guys. I like this already and I think I found who to hang out with._ Liz smiled as they began to argue. _Hao's strange. He seems to notice me only sometimes and forget about me other times. Perhaps he's always like this._

"Hey, stop pulling me." Sumi protested when her arm starting hurting and forced her to be more wide awake.

"You fall asleep very easily don't you?" Hao didn't let go. "It only took you a second to fall asleep on Anna's shoulder. It makes me wonder if you heard any of the commotion."

"That was very mean and cruel. Are all people with power like that?" Sumi tried to uncurl his fingers off her arm, but he tightened it more.

Hao gave her his trademark smirk. "I was actually just scaring him. Sure, I could do that, but I wouldn't, and Yoh wouldn't either. Don't think I'm like that. You don't know me just yet."

"Uh huh..." She was focused on taking his hand off her arm. It was a really strong grip that she felt like he blocked the blood flow in her arm. "Hey, you're hurting me."

"You know I have a name Sumi. And no problem by the way for helping you out."

The sarcasm was way out in the open, but still Sumi wasn't paying any attention. "Please? Let go?" She grimaced in pain.

Yoh caught the desperate plead in her voice and grabbed Hao's hand on her arm. "Hao, let go of her."

"What?" He stopped.

"Let go of her, you're hurting her." Yoh repeated.

He gave his brother a curious look. _Yoh usually never interferes with what I do..._ He ignored him and started walking again, pulling her arm.

Yoh grabbed Sumi's wrist and pulled, to stop him. "Hao..."

He turned around and looked at him, obstinately. "Yoh..."

"How about... both of you let go?" Sumi chuckled awkwardly with an uneasy smile, attempting to free both arms.

Yoh gave her an apologetic look. "Once Hao does."

Hao pulled her towards him. "Once Yoh does."

Thus it began, a tug-o-war. Sumi had on the most bizzare expression as the brothers were trying to get the other one to let go.

"Stop. I can't feel my arms."

Anna sighed exasperated. _They are so childish._ She smacked both of them on the head and pulled Sumi out of their grasps and towards the office.

Hao and Yoh looked at each other, rubbing their heads. They shrugged and walked after them.

Everyone else was just staring at them in confusion. Liz had on this envious expression with a fake smile plastered on.

"Eh..." HoroHoro made a face. "What's gotten into them?"

Lyserg shooked his head. "No clue."

Ren stayed silent and saw that Pirika and Tamao looking so astonished. He rubbed his head. "Come on, let's go." He instructed, walking after them with his hands in his pockets.

"Anna..." _Why does everyone here have such a strong grip?_ "You're hurting me too..." Sumi winced as Anna dragged her. She had to jog to try to keep up with her fast pace.

"Oh, sorry." Anna released her hand and Sumi rubbed her arms. "They're a little immature, aren't they?"

"It's alright." Sumi smiled and looked around. They'd passed so many doors and halls already and the hall seemed never ending. "Is the office that far? Shouldn't it be in front of the school?"

"It is. We came in from the back because we were at the parking lot." She told her. "We're almost there, don't worry." She unexpectedly turned into another hallway, which made Sumi run after her. The hall opened to a large high ceiling room. "There's the entrance." Anna pointed to the doors at the front, where students were coming in.

"Wow..." Sumi awed.

"Come on, follow me." Anna started climbing some stairs. Sumi saw that there were three other stairs leading somewhere and there were at least fifteen different openings leading into halls. She got a feeling that she was going to have a hard time getting around.

"Well, here we are." Anna stopped in front of a glass door that read 'Administration Office.' The others finally caught up with them and Anna opened the door. She walked in with Sumi.

"Hi, we're here to pick up our schedules?" Sumi said cheerfully.

The lady at the desk gave her a uninterested look and asked. "What's your name?" Yoh and Hao walked in behind them and the lady's eyes sparked up, she stood up and bowed. "Morning Mr. Yoh and Hao Asakura."

Anna looked annoyed. _What's wrong with this world?_

"Morning." Yoh chuckled and it looked like the lady wanted to squeal with happiness, but she kept her posture. Yoh turned to Sumi with an apologetic smile. "Sorry Sumi for what happened before." He looked at Hao, who had on a prudish look, and nudged him.

"And I'm sorry too..." Hao grumbled and trailed off so Sumi couldn't hear the rest.

Yoh poked him. "Hao."

"Alright, alright... I'm a hopeless inconsiderate flirt that isnt worthy of being in your presence. Will you please forgive us?" He looked away, embarassed that he had to do it in front of people.

Anna pursed her lips, concealing her smile. _It looks like Yoh has some power over his brother. Getting Hao to do that must be hard._ She glanced at him and he winked at her.

Pirika, Tamao, and the lady's mouth were dropped open. _No way... _

HoroHoro, Lyserg, and Ren just watched the show. _I wondered what Yoh did?_

Liz and Sumi's eyes were wide, but Sumi's were wide with confusion. "Eh... do you really think that?"

Hao was debating if it was a trick question. Girls often ask to see if you're being sincere or that you're a liar. "Yes... I mean no."

Sumi raised an eyebrow.

"No." Hao repeated and shrugged. "Yoh made me say it."

Yoh gave a nervous chuckle and scratched his head, awkward that his brother had just put him in the spot.

"Hm... don't ever say things you don't mean. You were just putting yourself down so I could feel better, but it didn't make you feel better. If you don't think that, then you shoudn't tell lies. And don't say sorry if you don't mean it." Sumi smiled.

For the first time, Hao felt awkward around a girl and simply wanted to get away from her. _I tell lies everyday, that's just how I am._ _How else do I get all those girls? They love to hear sweet things. A simple saying of 'You're beautiful' makes them feel extremely happy. Everyone wants to hear something nice sometimes, even if they know I'm lying. As long as they feel happy, everything is okay. It's like the saying that goes, 'Love me, hate me, as long as you know that I exist.' _

Yoh's eyes shifted at Hao, he could feel his brother's uneasiness. "Anyways, Miss? Do you mind if you get these two ladies their schedules?" He grinned at the lady, causing her to snap out of her stare, and the topic to change.

"Sure, no problem." She sparkled and began typing. "What are your names please?"

"Sumi Mitsuki." Sumi informed and smiled at Liz.

Liz however was watching Hao. "Elizabeth Mitsuki."

The lady did a couple more typing and the printer started. "Here you go. Just wait a couple more seconds and you'll have your schedules ready."

Ren could also feel Hao's desire to leave them, "Hao, are we going to work out today?" He acted as if nothing had happened.

Hao snapped up and gave Ren his trademark smirk. "Of course, I'm not going to skip a day so you can beat me." He gave his brother a smile. "Wanna join us Yoh?"

Yoh shrugged. "Sure."

"Hey! Count me in!" HoroHoro shouted.

Ren glared. "Who invited you?"

"Aw, come on Ren. Just because I can bench more than you doesn't mean that you have to treat me this way." HoroHoro stuck out his tongue.

His eyes burned fire. "What are you talking about? Don't make things up! Even Lyserg can beat you!"

"Oh yeah? How would you know? Why don't we go at it?" HoroHoro challenged. "Count Lyserg in too. I'll show you I can beat him."

"Hell no. You're not inviting yourself again. You're too much of a distraction." Ren crossed his arms.

"They can come Ren. You'll just have to show them who's better." Hao gave him a michieveous look.

Ren looked incensed. "Whatever."

Tamao and Pirika shared a glance. _Guys..._

"Here you go ladies. I hope you love this school and enjoy your classes." The lady at the desk held put their papers for them to take.

"Thank you." Sumi took her paper and looked at it.

Anna looked over her shoulder. "We have the same first period Sumi." She sighed. "Can you guess who our teacher is?"

She shook her head. "I'm new here remember?"

"Yeah, but we've already met him. Or I'll say..." Anna rubbed her temples. "You knocked him over this morning."

Yoh looked over to Anna along with HoroHoro, Ren, Lyserg, Tamao, Pirika, and even Liz. Hao wrinkled his brow as he was staring at Liz's schedule in his hand. His eyes went to the corner of his eyes, but then back to the schedule.

"Oh, that's going to be awkward." HoroHoro pointed out.

Ren pushed him. "Don't point out the obvious."

"You barely know the teacher and you're not on good terms with him already." Lyserg said, looking at Sumi.

"It's okay." She shrugged.

Ren closed his eyes. "She's not the only one who has to face him, Anna and I will have to deal with him too."

The bell rang and everyone looked at each other.

"Shoot, we're going to be late for class." HoroHoro cried out.

"Why don't we go then?" Lyserg pointed out.

Yoh nodded and everyone walked out of the office. When they went downstairs, everyone began to separate.

Yoh started to walk with Anna, but she stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To your class."

"No, you're going to yours. We don't need any of your assistance." Anna turned him around and pushed him the other way.

"Fine. Fine." Yoh grabbed Ren and pulled him towards him. "Make sure Anna and Sumi will be alright, okay Ren?"

Ren gave him the look and rolled his eyes. "Sure... no problem."

"Promise?" Yoh asked.

Ren growled annoyed. "Yeah, yeah. I promise. Whatever."

"Okay, I'll leave this to you." He patted Ren's back and ran after Hao, Liz, and Pirika. Since he had the same class as Hao and Pirika, and seeing Liz walk with the, that probably meant she might be in the same class as them.

Ren shook his head and walked after Anna and Sumi. _There's always trouble with those two twins. Why am I their friend? Bakas... it's so troublesome. Now I have to watch these two and make sure they're okay. Does Yoh want me to try to keep them from getting written up? Damn I should have asked him to explain himself. The teacher isn't going to do anything. Except the air will be tense between all four of us._ Ren sighed. _Damn that Hao for threatening the teacher._ They reached the door of the classroom and both Anna and Ren sighed. They still had at least a minute before the bell rang for class to start. The halls were becoming quite rather empty now, other than the students quickly running to their classes. Anna hesitated for a second then reached and opened the door.

----

Yeah... this feels long... so imma stop for now...


	3. Chapter 3

Heellloo! haha thankz for the reviewz! . I'm sorry for not writing and updating sooner, but school is frustrating so I have no time. You know how it is. Yup, all the drama and stuff happening too... It makes me all confuse and everything... I don't even know... Haha yuppz anywayz...

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.:So This is How it is:.

Anna opened the door to see Mr. Yuu standing in front of the class, getting his papers out so he could teach. He turned his head to see the three of them entering his room with a placid appearance.

He grabbed his attendance sheet and skimmed down the list looking for any new names. He stopped at an unfamiliar name. Sumi Mitsuki. Pausing for a second, he asked himself, what was he going to do?

As he slowly drew the paper from his face, Sumi's face appeared right before his desk, looking ever so innocent. "Arrg!" Mr. Yuu jumped back, giving a startled cry of surprise.

The class laughed at his surprised expression. Ren and Anna had walked to their seats and looked amused. Rubbing his head, Mr. Yuu also chuckled. He was only twenty-eight, it was way too early for his life to be ruined. There was no possible way to get through if he loses his job now. He wasn't rich like these kids and everything he worked for to get this job could easily be taken away. Tooya Yuu sighed. _I can't risk this..._

Dropping the papers on the table, he turned to the board behind him and scrawled out her name. "Class, today we have a new student. Everyone give her a warm welcome as she introduces herself."

The class clapped their hands together and gazed at her with sparkling eyes, clearly excited that there was a new student. _He's acting as if nothing happened._ Anna watched the teacher curiously. She had always thought Mr.Yuu was nice, but strict, mainly because he wanted to do a good job as a teacher, meaning no slacking off. _Perhaps he's going to let that slide._

Twirling to face the class, Sumi gave a smile. "Hi! My name is Sumi Mitsuki. Nice to meet you all. I hope to get to know all of you." She bowed.

"Alright Sumi, you may sit over there beside Ayame. Since your only late a couple days, you'll have no problem catching up to where we're at." He pointed at a seat beside a girl with long black hair and Sumi nodded her head in reply.

The second Sumi sat down, the girl immediately asked. "You're the girl that was with Hao and Yoh Asakura this morning huh?"

"Um yeah," She answered, not catching the agressive tone in her voice.

"Uh huh. Who was the other girl you were with?" Her voice came out sweet and soothing, but nonetheless demanding.

"Oh," She said as she got out a piece of paper and a pencil. "That would be Liz."

The girl made mental notes and gazed over the new girl sitting beside her. Grinning mischieviously, she licked her lips. "Sumi, is it?"

"Yeah, and you're name is Ayame am I right?"

"Yup." She rested her chin on her hand, raising her eyebrows as she talked. "Would you like to join their fan club?"

"Fan club?" Sumi asked blankly.

Behind them, Ren's ears twitched and he eyed Ayame like a hawk. _She doesn't look like she's up to any good._

"Yes. Since you're new here, you'll catch on how things work around here later on. But yeah, Hao and Yoh Asakura are so hot! Don't you think so? I totally love everything about them! They're exact opposites, yet great in each of their own way." She praised.

She watched Ayame sparkle and flowers fall around her. _Wow, this girl is... different... she even made flowers appear out of nowhere..._

Her pretty face was gleaming with a mysterious smile. "Would you like some time to think about it?"

"Nah," Sumi chuckled. "I don't think I would like to be in their fan club. I just met them. Thanks though."

_Like Anna... She didn't even want to think about it..._ A dark shadow covered her face. "Then you aren't allowed to talk to them."

Puzzlement showed on Sumi's face. "Why not?"

"It's the rules." She leaned close to her. "Stay away or else..."

"Um, okay." replied Sumi with a shrug. "Hao isn't really a nice guy anyways."

Ayame's eyes burned. "You aren't allowed to speak ill of them either. Watch yourself. You don't know how many people can see and hear what you do and say. Who knows what could happen to you..."

A crumpled piece of paper miraculously hit Ayame in the head, which caused her to turn her head furiously to face the back with a deadly venomous expression. However, when she saw Ren, the expression **magically** disappeared altogether and was immediately replaced with a shimmering admiration.

Ren shrugged. "I was aiming for the trash can, but your head got in the way." The boy sitting beside him stifled a laugh.

She ignored it and placed her hands together with glimmering eyes. "Ohohoho, that's okay Ren! I accept your apology!"

Ren and Anna, who was sitting a couple seats away, both had on irritated expressions. _I didn't apologize. Damn, she making up things._ Ren leaned forward on his desk.

Seeing that, she also tilt towards him, wondering what he was going to say. She reddened when his cheek brushed against hers. "Ayame..."

She tingled and her heart rate sped up rapidly. _Please don't faint. Don't faint. Don't faint._

"If you dare threaten Sumi or so as much do something to Sumi or Anna, there's no possible ending of torture or whatever punishment we could do to you. So think about how much power you hold, and how much power we hold." He whispered maliciously, hoping she would get the hint.

Her eyes were huge, almost like they were going to pop out from surprise. _What's going on? Don't tell me that the new girl is related to the Asakuras or one of their drop dead gorgeous friends. And, why did he include Anna's name in there? What's with her importance?_ Her inner self raged with jealousy when she remembered that Anna was seen with the Asakuras this morning. Thinking about Anna prancing around with the Asakuras, flirting with them, and giggling uncontrolablly every time they tell a joke to her, made her angry, even though it was a bit exaggerated than how Anna would actually act. _Something has to be done!_ Her eyes burned with fire.

Ren leaned back in his chair and watched her, trying to read her expression. _Who knows what she's thinking at this moment._

Sumi watched them, not fully aware of what was going on. Ren caught her gaze for a second, but quickly looked away.

Anna gave a suspicious glare when she saw the three of them looking at her. There was no worries about Sumi because she was smiiling and giving her a small wave, whereas Ayame had on the look of death. If looks could kill, she probably would have dropped to the floor dead by now. Anna frowned at Ren, who frowned at her right back. _He must have involved me somehow. Shit... stupid dimwits..._

_Looks as if Anna poses more of a threat than Sumi. Damn it Yoh. I can't be a frikin bodyguard for them. _Ren cursed inwardly. He knew he made things worse the second he mentioned Anna's name out of nowhere.

Ayame turned back to Ren looking as innocent as she could, all trace of any evil disappeared from sight. She beamed at Ren and at Sumi. Looking at Sumi, she asked, "Hey Sumi, are you related to anyone in this school other than that Liz girl you mentioned?"

Sumi blinked. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"Just wondering... Um, so you have no connection with anyone at all?"

Ren stared at Ayame, trying to figure out what was going on. Before Sumi could say no, he jumped in. "Other than the fact that she's my girlfriend, she has no connection at all."

He saw Ayame's eyes become really huge and her mouth slowly drop open in surprise. Sumi's eyes were confused and watching him, but catching his look that he gave her, she didn't say anything.

Ayame stuttered. "A-A-Are y-you serious?" She turned to Sumi with fire raging in her eyes again. Looking down upon her, she asked Sumi with gritted teeth. "Is this true?"

Sumi looked lost and opened her mouth, trying to think of something to say. "Um..."

A hand slid onto Sumi's face and turned her face away from Ayame's. Sumi's eyes met Ren's and she stared.

"Yes, do you want me to show you proof?" Ren said softly as he continued staring into Sumi's eyes. Somehow he was caught in the gaze and was mesmerized by them. He leaned close to her face, not taking his eyes away from Sumi's eyes.

Ayame jumped up and shouted. "No! Stop! Oh my god, I can't believe this..."

Ren and Sumi gazed over to Ayame. In fact the whole class was watching them.

Mr. Yuu turned around from scribbling on the board. "Ayame, you're causing a lot of racket for someone who is suppose to be copying down the work on the board." He saw the close contact between Ren and Sumi and sighed. "And Ren, you know pretty well that you should keep your hands off other students in the class."

Ren smirked as he moved away from Sumi. _This is just great... I think I just dug a deeper hole..._

"Ayame. Please sit down and resume copying down the notes." Mr. Yuu placed his hands on his hips and stared at her.

Ayame was standing there in shock with her mouth half open. "I- I- I have to tell them."

Ren made a weird expression at her reaction. "Tell who?"

"The girls... This is so not fair." She snapped out of the trance and bowed at Mr. Yuu. "Excuse me Mr. Yuu, but I have something important to attend to." Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her bag and ran out the door.

"Wait..." Mr. Yuu called after her, but she was already gone. Shaking his head, he turned back to the board, grumbling to himself. _Rich kids... thinking that they can do whatever they want whenever they feel like it..._

Anna was watching Ren, who had on a bewildered expression, but nonetheless smirking. He turned and caught her stare. Ren raised his eyebrows in response and shrugged.

_Looks like he's causing trouble..._ Anna looked down at the paper in front of her and sighed. _Now I wonder why did I decide to go out that day and get involved with them._

When the bell rang, the class got up and started leaving. Anna stood up and stuffed everything into her bag. She glanced over to Sumi, who was also putting things into her backpack. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, Anna began to walk towards the door.

"Sumi. May you please stay for a little bit, so I can talk to you?"

Anna looked back to see Mr. Yuu standing with both hands placed on his desk. She saw Sumi give a smile and nod in agreement. Ren appeared behind her and they were watching them and waiting.

Mr. Yuu looked over to Anna and Ren. "You guys can leave. You don't have to wait for her because you might be late." He gave a small smile. "Don't worry, she's not in trouble."

Anna and Ren looked at each other then nodded and headed out. Mr. Yuu smiled. _Interesting how they barely know her, yet they are worried._

"Mr. Yuu, you wanted to talk to me?"

He turned to face her. "Yes." He sat down at his chair. "Look, Sumi, I know we started off on the wrong foot. I don't want to be seen as a bad teacher and I know you don't want to be seen as a bad student. The rest of this year won't be a good one if our first impression isn't good. So how about we forget everything that had happened this morning and start off fresh again? Does that sound alright to you?"

Sumi nodded. "That's fine with me."

"Alright then," He stood up and stuck out his hand. "Hi, my name is Mr. Tooya Yuu and I welcome you to this school. I hope you enjoy this atmosphere."

"Thank you!" Sumi took his hand and shook it. "My name is Sumi Mitsuki and it's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled and giggled.

"I hope this would be a good year for us." Mr. Yuu smiled. "And I hope we get to know each other better."

Sumi grinned. "Same here."

"So what class do you have next?" Mr. Yuu asked.

Sumi pulled out her schedule and looked at it. "Um, I have English."

"Alright then, go to class now and don't be late. See you tomorrow."

"Okay." Sumi bowed and walked towards the door waving. "Bye Mr. Yuu. See you."

Anna exited the classroom along with Ren trailing behind her. She stopped and faced him, giving Ren an intense look. "What happened in there?"

Ren crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Shrugging, he simply said, "Nothing."

"Don't give me that. Tell me or else you're in for a world of pain." Anna threatened.

Deciding not to take the risk of what Anna could do, Ren started walking. "Well, not much really happened. Other than the fact that Sumi is my girlfriend now, there isn't much to say."

Anna was walking along beside him when she heard this and shouted. "WHAT? How can you do that to her? You-"

Ren's hand quickly went over her mouth as he pulled her along. Anna had attracted attention from shouting 'what?' in a rather loud manner and caused everyone to watch them. Ren smiled at them as he walked past groups of people, knowing pretty well that they were straining their ears to try to hear what they were talking about.

Anna pushed Ren off her. "Get your hands off me."

Ren smirked. "Please refrain yourself from blurting things in the hall. There are ears everywhere. Plus I'm helping her out."

"I'm not too sure about that." Anna glared and walked in front of him.

Ren rolled his eyes. "Hey I'm trying here. At least give me credit for something. Yoh asked me to do the impossible."

"It's not impossible Ren. You just have to know how to work the crowd." Yoh appeared beside Ren with a smile.

Both Anna and Ren jumped in surprise. Then without warning, a book came down upon Yoh's head and Anna glared at Yoh with a look that could have murdered him on the spot. "Don't do that again..." She growled maliciously.

"Ow Anna. Okay okay I won't do that again." Yoh cried out as he rubbed his head. "You're so abusive Anna."

"I'm sorry, but I was born this way." Anna shot back.

Before Yoh could say anything in response, Ren crossed his arms and frowned at Yoh. "Yoh, look what you got me into. Now, I have to fake that Sumi's my girlfriend-" He stopped quickly and slapped his forehead. _Dammit..._ _Stupid stupid stupid..._

Yoh stared at the angry and frustrated Ren. "What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes and grumbled. "I said something in public that wasn't meant for the public to hear..."

Yoh blinked, not understanding him. "Oh... I see..."

Anna rubbed her temple, obviously seeing that Yoh was pretending that he understood Ren. "The thing he said about Sumi Yoh." She informed, making the lightbulb turn on in his head. "As you can see, you can spot little mole heads popping out from behind the lockers and twitching their ears."

As if to prove Anna true, there were several groups of girls watching them as they walked pass and seeing that they saw them, they quickly duck their heads either behind a locker or into a book.

"Girls scare me sometimes. I don't understand them." Ren sighed. "They gossip like crazy too."

"Only the ones in all you guys' fan clubs." Anna noted. "You don't know what else they do that scares people."

"And what percent of the girls are like that in this school?" Ren asked.

Anna gave him a bored stare. "About 90. Only 10 of the girls are considered normal."

Yoh shivered. "Creepy. I'm glad you're part of the normal 10 of the girls Anna." He smiled at her.

"At least you know I'm not part of that 90 of the girl population. Otherwise I would think you're more stupid." Anna turned and started climbing the stairs.

Yoh was thrown off for a second then ran after her. "Anna!"

Ren sighed and walked after them. _Yoh... What is this?_

"What?" She shot him a frown.

Yoh grinned happily. "Don't frown Anna."

"Why not? It's a free country. I can do whatever I choose to do." Anna focused on the path she was taking, glaring at any of the students who were giving her looks.

The smile on Yoh's face seemed to grow wider. "But you look so much cuter when you're not frowning and you never know when someone is falling for your smile."

_What the hell! What is he saying?!? Something is seriously wrong with him. I wish I could wipe that stupid smile off his face. _Anna forced her expression to remain the same and just gave Yoh a murderous look. "Say the word cute to me ever again and you'll suffer much worse than you have ever experience."

Ren shook his head and rolled his eyes. _What is Yoh thinking?_

Yoh chuckled and scratched his head. "Sorry Anna. I always wanted to say that line though."

Anna scoffed and continued on her way. "Say it to someone else."

"Hey, slow down. We have the same class." Yoh grabbed her arm.

"Yoh, I know that you're trying to be friends with me, but," She pressed her lips firmly together. "I don't think it's a good idea for people to see us talking or me talking with any of you guys ever. Therefore, let go Yoh."

Ren stopped behind them and watched Yoh, waiting for his reaction.

Yoh smiled brightly and started walking, pulling Anna along. "It's alright Anna. Don't care what other people think. We'll protect you."

Anna growled frustrated, but let herself be dragged along. _He doesn't get it. This fool. _She was too tired of talking to try to get it into Yoh's thick skull.

_If things were simplier in life and in this school, I wouldn't mind Yoh. But it doesn't work that way..._

_What do I want?_

_What should I do?_

_What am I waiting for?_

_I don't know..._

Sumi walked through the halls looking for her next class. "English... Room F304..." She whispered to herself as she scanned for her room. The halls were busy filled with people and a loud hum of different voices echoing throughout the hall as she walked forward against the crowd. After 5 minutes passed, the halls became more quiet and empty. A ring was heard, notifying that the next class was starting. Sumi's eyes were wide. _Oh no... I'm lost and I can't find my class..._ She quickened her pace, swinging her head from side to side, glancing around for her room. It was nowhere seen.

After 10 minutes of constant frantic searching, she crouched to the floor, grabbing her knees and hugging it. "Man, somehow, I knew this was going to happen..." She breathed heavily, tired from searching.

A shadow covered her and she looked up. A boy was standing over her and he gave her a smile.

"Hey," He knelt down in front of her. "Um, may I ask you a question?"

Sumi stared at him confused. "Um, sure."

He rubbed his arm. "Do you know where is room F304?"

Sumi laughed. "I'm sorry, but I'm looking for that room too. I'm kind of lost."

He chuckled along with her. "It's alright. Let's go find it together." He stood up and gave her his hand.

She grabbed it and pulled herself up. "Thanks."

"No problem. By the way, my name is Ryo." He smiled at her. He caught her enchanting light brown eyes with his dark brown ones.

Sumi returned it. "My name is Sumi. Are you new here too?" They turned and started walking.

He was about a head taller than her with orangish brownish hair, so he looked down and replied, "Yeah, I just transferred here. You too?"

"Yeah. How weird, they put us in the same class." Sumi stated.

"I know, but I guess this is how it is. It's cool though. At least I'm not missing class by myself." Ryo pointed out. "Maybe it's this way."

They wandered for about five more minutes, until they saw a teacher walking down the hall.

"Hey, aren't you kids suppose to be in class?" A fairly young teacher called from a distance.

"Mr. Yuu!" Sumi called out as she realized it was the teacher she had before when he approached them.

Mr. Yuu raised his eyebrows at Sumi. "Sumi, aren't you suppose to be in class?"

"Yeah, but I guess I couldn't find the room." She grinned embarrassed. "Do you know where F304 is?"

"Of course, I'll lead you guys. The school here can be a bit confusing sometimes, so it might be hard to find your classes the first day here." He started walking up the stairs. "Follow me."

Ryo looked at Sumi and she smiled, nodding to indicate that it's okay. "Thanks Mr. Yuu."

When they stopped at the door, Mr. Yuu nodded at them and opened the door. He peeked inside to see that the teacher had stopped talking and was looking at them. Mr. Yuu took a step in. "Excuse me, I apologize, but I happened to stumble across some lost students of yours." He moved aside to allow Sumi and Ryo to enter the classroom. The teacher was also pretty young looking and pretty beautiful for her to be a teacher.

Sumi and Ryo bowed. "Sorry."

The teacher nodded. "It's alright." She looked at her attendence sheet. "Sumi and Ryo right?" They both nodded and she indicated for them to face the class. "Introduce yourself to the class and I want Sumi to sit right there," She pointed at an empty seat two rows back, between two boys. "And Ryo over there." She pointed to an empty seat on the far right. "You guys got this?"

Sumi and Ryo nodded again in response.

"Alright then." The teacher indicated at Mr. Yuu to go outside. "I'll be back. I need to have a talk first. I'll leave it to you two."

Sumi smiled at Ryo. "Okay. Um, I'll go first. My name is Sumi Mitsuki. It's nice to meet all of you! I hope that I get to know each and every one of you." She bowed and walked to her seat and sat down.

Ryo looked at Sumi as she smiled at him from her seat. _Hmm... She's cute..._ Ryo shrugged and glanced around the room. "I'm Ryo and don't call me anything else but Ryo. I don't want any nicknames. Nice to meet all of you."

_Interesting personality... _Sumi reached to her backpack and pulled out her cookies. She placed one in her mouth as she closed the ziplock bag. She felt someone put their hand on her shoulder, so she turned her head to look.

A mouth bit the other side of the cookie and broke it off. A pair of blue eyes stared right at her. Sumi stared right back blankly. Another hand went on the other side of her shoulder and she felt something wet across her cheek. Her eyes caught another pair of matching blue eyes.

"You had some crumbs on your face." The one who licked her cheek stated and gave a mischievous grin.

Sumi raised her eyebrows and ate what was left of her cookie so she could talk. "If you guys wanted cookies, you should of told me. I have some more you know." She looked at both of them and realized that they were twins.

A hand went under her chin and turned her head. "Well then, I would like a cookie." The boy in front of her was sitting on top of his chair with one knee on her desk, leaning dangerously close to her face. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway with his sleeves rolled up and his tie was pulled loose. He looked like a complete rebel.

"Um, sure." Sumi replied to his grinning face.

A hand slammed down on her table. "HOW DARE YOU PEOPLE TRY TO SEDUCE HER LIKE THAT!"

Sumi jumped along with the twins beside her, but the boy in front of her peeked one eye lazily over to the person. "You're kind of interrupting me from getting my cookie, Anna."

Sumi glanced over to the angry girl and saw that Hao, Yoh, and everyone that she had met standing behind her. She looked around the room, scanning the people. Apparently it seemed that everyone had this class, even Ayame, who had begun whispering furiously to a group of girls.

"You disrepectful LITTLE BOY! Treat girls right otherwise I'll murder you in your sleep!" Anna threatened and slammed both hands down on the table again.

Sumi and everyone else jumped excluding the boy in front of her once again. "I guess that I won't have to treat you right then." He stared at her, watching her register it in her mind.

Anna growled. "How dare you!" She raised her arm, ready to slap him across his cheek, but Yoh grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Anna! Stop!" Yoh pulled both of her arms back and held her.

"Stupid Yoh! Let me go! That boy should get what he deserves! Let go!" Anna yelled.

Hao walked between Anna and the boy and leaned in a bit. "Don't you try to do that to Sumi again, Keigo. Tell that to them two too." He turned his head to look at the twins. "You hear that?"

The twins shook themselves out of the stunned looks and glared. "It doesn't concern you what we do, Hao."

Keigo leaned back with crossed arms. "The infamous Hao Asakura. Shouldn't you go worry about your own pretty little head and mind your own business?"

Hao glowered. "My friends are my business. So watch yourself."

Keigo and the twins and everyone else shared a tense moment until Liz walked up beside Hao. "Hao, forget about Sumi. She can take care of herself."

Hao stared at Liz. "Friends are important so you can't forget about them. She's your sister. Care about her."

Keigo watched Hao. _At least he knows what comes first... He surprises me sometimes... Hmm... They're sisters... yet the pink one doesn't care about her... _

Liz tightened her lips and seemed frustrated. She looked at Keigo, who turned to look at Sumi because she made a sound.

"Umm, don't worry about me guys. They really didn't do anything to me." Sumi smiled and scatched her head.

Somehow Keigo felt his face relaxed and he smiled a little. _She's still the same..._

Ryo was watching from his seat. _Interesting..._

Liz, the twins, Ryo, and Hao all caught Keigo's slight smile, but none of them said anything.

Ren sighed. "Sumi, we are going to need to teach you some things. I think Anna should give you lessons."

The air was a little lighter since Sumi spoke up, so it didn't seem as tense as before. Hao closed his eyes and opened them to glance at Sumi, but then shifted his glance back to Keigo. "You better watch it."

Yoh was still holding onto Anna, when she tried to move forward again. "Yoh, let go already."

"No, I'm afraid you'll do something so you'll get in trouble. Let my brother handle this." Yoh smiled.

"All Hao is doing is threatening! He's not doing anything. Let go of me, I'll show him that he'll never treat Sumi that way again." Anna wiggled, but with no luck.

"Exactly. So, let him handle it. Your way has too much aggression." Yoh informed.

Giving in, Anna stopped and watched them, grumbling under her breath about how stupid Yoh was.

"Hao Asakura, how well do you know me? Not very well at all. How about we'll just see what happens? Let's just wait and see..." Keigo shrugged.

Hao smirked. "Alright then. Bring it..."

Yoh frowned. _Oh great..._ _Luckily Anna and the girls don't know what they are talking about..._

Ren, HoroHoro, and Lyserg smirked along with the twins. Everyone else in the class didn't understand, but they didn't say anything.

"What are you guys doing?" The teacher had walked back into the classroom. "Please sit down in your seats guys." She sighed. "Keigo get off your chair. Sit in it properly please. I leave for a few minutes and the class turns hectic."

Hao and the rest of them gave one last glance at Keigo and returned to their seats as the teacher was talking.

"Okay, for Liz, Sumi, and Ryo. My name is Hikari Hamasuki. Welcome to this class. I am totally surprise that today we got three new students. It is totally abnormal, but I guess this is how it is. There are a couple rules in this class..." Her voice droned on as Liz tuned her out. She had felt jealously running through her when Hao said that he should care for Sumi.

Liz answered Hao's question in her mind. _Why should I care for Sumi? There are enough people caring for her already. And who cares about me? Hardly anyone. Mom doesn't. Dad doesn't. No one. No one cares how I feel._

_I bet Sumi does..._

_Supid Sumi, I don't want her caring for me. Why don't someone I care about care for me? Everyone always care for her. This is so stupid. I try and try, but it doesn't work..._

_I hate this... I hate her... I hate her being caring... I hate her being who she is... I hate people who say they care when they dont... Pathetic people..._

_So this is how it is... This is how it's meant to be..._

_I bet Sumi would say... 'Don't say that. It's never meant to be this way. Change it.' _

_I hate her... _

However her inner voice told her otherwise._ You don't hate her, you envy her. You admire her. She's everything you're not. Complete opposite._ Liz refused to believe that and ignored it.

_I hate her... I hate her... I hate her... _She repeated to convince herself. _This is how it is. This is how it is meant to be. I'm suppose to hate you. That's the way I want it..._

_--------------_

Sorry once more... No time... Um... now lets see... what are the guys talking about? Hmm Guess? We'll see... we'll see...


	4. Chapter 4

Hii! P Thanks for reviews! I'm sorry that this is comming up so slow... hahha.. My apologies... Anyways straight to the story..

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.:So This is How it is:.

_Stupid Yoh... Stupid Keigo... Stupid Hao... Stupid guys... _Anna glared at Keigo's back from her seat with her thoughts raging with anger. She had her arms crossed and a few strands of her blond hair fell over her eye. She pushed it behind her ear and huffed angrily.

Yoh glanced over to Anna and grinned at her angry expression. _Cute..._ Yoh rested his chin on the palm of his hand and stared at the Ms. Hamasuki lecturing, pretending to pay attention. However, his thoughts drifted off to something that had happened last week at home.

_Yoh quickly grabbed a toast off of the kitchen table and swung his backpack over his shoulder. He walked through the living room to see his mother watching a video and was about to walk past her, but she called out to him. _

_"Yoh, darling. Come here for a second. You have to see this." His mother gestured at him to come to her._

_Yoh looked at his watch and saw that he could spare a few minutes. "Yeah mom?"_

_She grabbed his arm and pointed at the screen. "Look Yoh, that's you and Hao when you guys were younger. I was looking through some things and I found this video."_

_Yoh chuckled at the screen. "Wow, I've never seen this. We look so dorky!" Yoh laughed._

_His mother laughed along with him. "No you don't. You guys look so adorable! How else did you guys go into acting and commercials?" She smiled and the video changed to a different scene._

_"Oh mom. Don't remind us about that. I'm glad we quit. Don't ever tell anyone that we did commercials otherwise people could use that to blackmail us." Yoh gave his mother a look._

_His mother made a face. "You guys loved acting! Not that you guys would remember because you and your brother were only eight... But do you remember the little girl?"_

_Yoh raised his eyebrows. "What little girl?"_

_At that moment, the video showed Little Hao, Little Yoh, and a little girl. Yoh stared at the screen trying to remember her, but he couldn't seem to remember, however she did looked really familar to him._

_"Hey, what do you think a person should do if they like somebody?" Hao's little voice echoed into the living room._

_The video shifted to the little girl and displayed her face deep in thought. She suddenly smiled. "I think that if a person likes someone then they should tell them. Even if other people don't think they are meant for each other... Because if something were to happen... then... when would the person get the chance to tell them? Especially if they were scared of what other people think. I think they should follow their heart! What do you think Yoh?"_

_The camera shifted the tiny Yoh. "I agree with you!"_

_Yoh stared and glanced at his mother. "Is that the little girl you were talking about?"_

_A sad expression covered his mother's face. "Yeah... I doubt you remember, but the three of you did commercials together and that brought you all to be good friends." She smiled. "Both you and Hao had this really big crush on her. As you can see, she's really adorable and cute. But... this was the last time you guys saw her."_

_Yoh stared. "What happened to her?"_

_"You saw that Hao asked that question to her right? So both of you guys were going to tell her that you like her the next day, but an accident happened to her and her mother. We had to leave for a movie shoot during that time, so we didn't get a chance to see them. Once we got back from our trip, we found out that her mother passed away and she became so depressed. The funeral was really bad for her and both of you saw how sad she was that you guys couldn't even face her. After that, her father couldn't bear it anymore and moved away. She never acted anymore and we lost contact with them... I don't know what happened to her, but I hope she's doing okay..."_

_"Dang..." Yoh patted his mother's back. "It's alright... I'm sure she's fine..."_

_"Yoh! What's taking so long? Hurry up would you?" Hao called from outside._

_Yoh looked at the clock. "Uh, sorry Mom. I got to go to school. I'll talk to you later!"_

_His mother smiled. "Alright Yoh, have fun at school!"_

_Yoh smirked. "Sure, I will." He waved and ran out the door. He hopped into the car and Hao gave him a look._

_"What took so long?"_

_"Mom showed me a video of us when we were younger." Yoh grinned. "We were dorky."_

_Hao made a digusted face as he backed out the car. "Hope she never shows it to anyone else."_

_"Yeah..." Yoh nodded._

_  
The little girl's words suddenly echoed in his head. "I think that if a person likes someone then they should tell them. Even if other people don't think they are meant for each other... Because if something were to happen... then... when would the person get the chance to tell them? Especially if they were scared of what other people think. I think they should follow their heart! What do you think Yoh?"_

Yoh smirked and looked at Hao_. Is that why Hao is so flirty? So if he thinks he likes someone then he would go ahead and take all chances? _Yoh chuckled silently_. He suddenly thought of Anna. Maybe I should go after Anna before it's too late._

_The words that the little girl had said had initiated him to take action. He had liked Anna for awhile now, it was just that their social status are on different levels that Yoh kept his distance from Anna. _Yoh smiled_. I'm stupid, I shouldn't care what other people think... Yoh chewed on his toast and decided that he was going to follow his heart._

Yoh smiled to himself and sighed. _I hope I'm doing the right thing..._

The bell rang and Anna began quickly shoving her things into her backpack. She looked over to Sumi and saw Keigo talking to her and gritted her teeth in anger. Keigo had began to walk with Sumi out the door with the twins following right behind them. Grabbing her backpack, she began to stomp over there and was going to pull Sumi away from him, but just before she was about to reached them, someone else pulled her away from Keigo's grasp.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I borrow her for a bit? Sorry." Ryo grabbed Sumi's arm and dragged her outside the room without waiting for an answer.

Keigo and the twins crossed their arms and watched them leave. Keigo smirked. _Competition already..._

Anna stomped past Keigo giving him a glare that was indicating that she wasn't letting him off the hook quite yet.

Keigo raised his eyebrows. _Feisty girl there..._

Hao and his group stopped right in front of Keigo. He had his arm swung loosely over Liz's shoulder and a smugged look on his face. Standing behind him were Yoh, Ren, HoroHoro, and Lyserg.

"Time and place?" Hao asked.

Keigo shrugged. "I'll think about it. Then I'll give you a heads up."

"Alright. Watch yourself." Hao stated and walked out of the room with the group following behind him.

He watched them leave with a mob of fangirls tailing behind them, including Tamao and Pirika giggling in the mob. Keigo shook his head in disbelief and scoffed.

Liz walked out with Hao's arm on her shoulder, thinking about all the people that she saw so far. _Oh my goshes! There are so many cute guys at this school!_

Hao leaned and whispered in her ear causing her to swoon at his voice. Liz grinned as they kept walking and Anna came into sight. _Hao's the hottest of them all though._

Anna was tailing Ryo and Sumi and called out to her at the same time Yoh called out to Anna. Both Anna and Sumi turned and looked back.

Anna turned back to see Yoh smiling and waving to her with his group walking behind him and behind them were the vicious looking fangirls. Their eyes were glowing red in anger and shooting the most intensifying vibe she had ever felt. Anna sighed. _Oh great. Yoh, what the hell are you doing?_

Sumi was looking back at Anna and watching Hao and the group walking towards her. She also saw that Ayame and her fangirls were giving Anna the look of death. Ryo was standing beside her and tapped her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Sumi turned her head and looked at him.

For a second, Ryo couldn't say anything and suddenly felt nervous. "I... um... " _I can't even say that I'm going to go... How lame..._

Out of nowhere, somebody bumped into Sumi and knocked her towards the ground. Ryo didn't have time to react, but watched her fall with a stunned expression on his face. It felt like it was happening in slow motion.

Luckily Yoh caught her before she hit the ground. He pulled her up and held her against him.

Anna saw Yoh's smiling face faded and his pace towards her quickened. He dashed past her and Anna turned to see him running towards Sumi and the new guy.

Yoh glared. "What gives you the right to treat people like this, Keigo?"

Ryo turned his head to the person standing before him. Keigo had his arms crossed with a vain look. _How did he get here so fast? I thought he was still in the classroom..._

He gave Yoh an amused look and glanced at Sumi, who Yoh was holding so tightly and protectively. "What are you talking about Yoh?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. You barely know her and yet you're treating her so cruelly." Yoh could feel his anger starting to bubble, but he took a deep breath and it relaxed him a bit.

Keigo's smug look disappeared. "It's not intentional." He leaned towards Sumi, who looked at him. "I did know her once, but I doubt she remembers."

Sumi's eyes widened a bit and she raked through her memories, but she couldn't remember ever seeing him.

Keigo stood up straight and his smug look reappeared. "I'm sorry Sumi. Don't take it to heart." He turned to Ryo. "As for you, I don't know you, but that was uncalled for back there. New kid, you don't know how things work here, so stay low."

"My name isn't New kid, it's Ryo. Don't worry about me, I'll catch on." Ryo stated, staring right back at him.

"Keigo, what place do you have for you to be able to threaten him?" Hao appeared behind Yoh along with everyone else. Ren was holding Anna back, who looked like she really wanted to hurt Keigo.

"A place that you don't have Hao." Keigo smirked. "However, I can always match up to your level and take your place away."

Hao gave Keigo an interested look. "Really now? Are you sure about that?" Then Hao's voice became lower and dangerous with a hint of tease. "I dare you to. I want you to give me such a challenge."

Keigo tilted his head back looking very amused. "Sure, I'll be the hardest challenge you've ever faced."

"We'll see... We'll see..." Hao responded.

"First step, is to know your challenger. And I think I know more about you than you know yourself." Keigo grinned confidently. His eyes looked at him and then flickered to Sumi. "I'll catch you later then." Keigo stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked off.

Liz was watching him and her heart fluttered for a second. _Damn all these hot guys. Wow, I love that look he gives off._

Sumi watched Keigo walk away. _I know him somewhere? Hmm..._

_People and their smug looks. This whole school is pretty much stuck-up..._ Anna thought to herself.

Hao looked over to Yoh, who was still holding Sumi tightly and Anna, whose arm was still being held back by Ren. _Hmm..._ Hao cleared his throat and looked at Yoh, who finally turned his attention on Hao, but still not letting go of Sumi. Hao raised his eyebrows at Yoh and gave a nod at Sumi.

Yoh finally realized and released his hold on her. "You doing okay?"

Sumi smiled. "Of course."

"That's good." Yoh returned her smile and looked over to Anna. "Are you okay Anna?"

"Just peachy." Anna replied and looked away. Ren also let go of her arm and crossed his arms.

Ayame and the fan girls behind them, suddenly pushed forward and surrounded Ren. They shoved Anna away from him and started shouting questions.

"I thought Sumi was your girlfriend!"

"Why are you holding Anna's hand?"

"You let Yoh hold her like that?"

"Were you lying to us?"

"What's going on?"

"Why didn't you protect her?"

Ren had on a bewildered expression as he stared at the girls shouting questions at him.

Anna was standing with Ryo behind her holding her shoulders, steadying her due to the fact that the fan girls shoved her. All of them just stared at the girls mobbing Ren until Hao cleared his throat.

"How can he answer your questions if you don't give him a moment to speak?" Hao said simply.

All the girls looked as if God had spoken and sparkled with admiration. Nodding in agreement to be silent, they looked over to Ren with eager eyes.

Ren sweatdropped and shrugged. "Um... What was the question?"

Ayame stepped forward. "Tell us, what is-?"

"I'm sorry ladies, but can we continue this later? I got somewhere else to be. Thanks. Bye." Ren gave an apologetic look to them and walked off, leaving all of them caught off guard.

"Uh, that's right. We got somewhere to be too, so we'll see you ladies later." Yoh flashed them a smile and started pushing Sumi away before they turned on her. "Anna, let's go."

With that, the rest of them followed Yoh. Liz caught the jealous looks that the fangirls gave her and an idea sprang up in her head as they passed them.

_What have I gotten myself into? Now I'm going to be constantly nagged to answer some dumb question. _Ren sighed. _It's all Yoh's fault._ Ren ran his fingers through his hair frustrated. _What can I do?_

Ren found himself staring out a window with his forehead against the glass. He groaned in annoyance and a tap on his shoulder followed.

"Ren? Are you doing alright?"

Ren turned to see Pirika staring at him and returned his glance back to the window. "Yeah, just fine."

Pirika went beside him and looked outside as well. "I doubt it." She paused and hesitated. "So about Sumi, what is she to you? I'm pretty sure I've never ever heard of her before."

Ren scoffed and gave a slight smile as he looked down to the ground and then back outside. _So that's why she's talking to me. Even though she is Horo's sister, those fangirls could probably get her to get answers for them._ "Don't worry about it. I'll figure this out by myself." The bell rang and Ren waved his hand to say bye and walked past her into the sea of rushing students.

Pirika watched him walk past her and sighed. _He's not going to clarify this situation, but I'm pretty sure she's a fake however I can't just assume without proof. This is going to make it harder for me and Tamao. They're not going to let us near Hao and Yoh until we find out what's going on. Darn it. _Pirika turned and walked the other direction as she tried to think of plans to find out the truth.

Sumi thought back to a little while ago as she quickly introduced Ryo to the group. Everyone seemed to find him just fine. She stared at Ryo's back, who was a couple seats away from her and thought to herself. _Ryo is rather strange. Though I just met him today, he seems pretty confident when he is in large groups, but he seems more shy when he is just with one other person._

Yoh suddenly ran through her head as she remembered what happened with Keigo. _Yoh is so nice. I feel very protected even though I don't really know him._ Sumi bit her lip. _But the issue with Ren and I, I'm not sure what is going on. I hope nobody asks me anything because I don't want to say something different from Ren and ruin whatever he's doing. So I got to keep up with this act... Even though I have no clue..._

A ruler slammed down on her desk. "Ms. Sumi Mitsuki. I know today is your first day, but please do pay attention when I am talking to you." The teacher was glaring at her and waving the ruler around.

Sumi pursed her lips together as everyone stared at her. "I was."

"Okay then, please redraw the chart I drew early on the board and fill it up with the correct answers." The teacher ordered and waved the ruler to the board.

She hesitated, but stood up and walk to the board and started redoing what was shown. _Hmm, I'll think about this later then._

Ryo shook his head and smiled at Sumi being caught for not paying attention.

The bell rang and lunch came. Sumi found herself wandering outside and sitting on a bench. She sighed and took a deep breath of the air. _It's so pretty here... The school is pretty... The students are pretty... Perfect for each other... If only everyone can get along together... Sometimes this world is too cruel..._

She leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees. She rested her forehead onto her hands and shut her eyes. _Mommy, Daddy I miss you guys... _Sumi bit her lip. _Wow, I can't think like this. It's pathetic..._ She sighed and lifted her head away from her knees. She looked up to meet none other then Ren standing there and staring at her.

"Are you okay Sumi?" Ren kept his face firm and sat down beside her.

Sumi smiled. "Yeah, I'm doing okay. How about you? Those girls were pretty rough back there."

Ren smirked. "It's alright. They can't really do anything to me, but... they can probably get more vicious to you." He paused. "To be honest, I don't know what to do. Yoh told me to protect you and Anna and the only thing that I could say was that you're my girlfriend in order for them to not take action. Still... Anna is out in the open... vulnerable to be attacked..." Ren rubbed his temple and looked right at Sumi. "I don't know what is worse now, for you to continue to be my 'fake' girlfriend or to have no connection with us. Because apparently from what I found out, is that those fangirls of Yoh and Hao are very malicious. They won't allow any other girls other than the ones in their fan club to talk to us and if it does happen, they get punished for it. That's why 90 of the girls in this school are in that stupid fan club."

"Wow... They're that scary? They don't seem like it." Sumi pondered at what Ren said and bit her lip. "Um, I'm not sure what they can do, but I'm not afraid of them. So, whatever is easier for you. I'm sure I'll be fine."

Ren gave an apologetic slight smile. "I'm sorry for suddenly throwing you off guard and just announcing it. I didn't ask for your permission."

"It's okay. Thank you for your concern. I'm very touched." Sumi was grinning happily and Ren shifted his eyes straight ahead to avoid blushing.

He didn't meant that he was caring for her personally, but she took it differently. "I think we'll see how long this fake thing can last because I know everyone knows that it isn't true, but we'll see. After all, it's my word against theirs."

Sumi suddenly remembered about Liz. "And one more thing, Liz knows I never had a boyfriend and there is a very little chance that since we just met today that she would think that I'm dating. Knowing her, she wouldn't take my side."

Ren continued looking straight ahead. "It's alright. We'll see what's going to happen and we'll improvise if anything. Oh, are you going to eat anything? It's lunch time after all."

Sumi smiled and nodded. "I have my cookies, would you like some?"

Ren shook his head. "I'm good, I got my chips."

Both of them pulled their snacks and began munching on them. "So how do you like it here so far?" Ren asked as he chewed.

"It's very pretty here and I think it's very interesting. I like it." Sumi replied.

Ren leaned back against the bench. "Do you like anyone here so far? A big Hao or Yoh fan yet?"

"Nope. Not at all. Why do they have fans?" Sumi asked.

Ren glanced at Sumi and answered. "Well they are not only handsome, but they are also popular, smart, fit, and loaded, which also gives them power in case you didn't notice."

"Oh... Well, do you like anyone?"

"Nope." Ren replied.

Sumi gave him a doubtful look. "Are you sure? I bet I know who it is."

Ren swallowed his chip. "Yeah, I'm sure. Go ahead and guess. I want to hear what you say." Ren tried to give off a mellow expression because he doubt she would guess right. _She might say Liz._

"Anna." For some reason, he couldn't hold back his blush as much as he tried and his face reddened to different shades of red. He opened his mouth to deny it, but he couldn't say anything.

Sumi giggled at his red face and his tensed position to try to stop his blushing, but only failing to do so. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. And I know you're going to try to deny it, but don't bother. Excuses like I was too shock so I couldn't speak isn't going to work. I promise that I'll keep this to myself. Okay?"

Ren looked away. "Yeah whatever."

"Here, I'll make sure this promise will be kept." She pulled his hand and pinky sweared him with their thumbs touching. She released his hand and grinned.

Ren raised his right eyebrow and shook his head. _How can she smile so much?_ And he gave a small smile in response.

Ryo wandered into the cafeteria. _Where is Sumi? Where did she go?_ He shrugged and went into the line to grab his lunch.

"Yo Ryo. Want to join us?"

Ryo looked back behind him to see HoroHoro grabbing his lunch and Lyserg behind him. "Sure."

Ryo followed them to a big table by the window that overlooked some parts of the garden. They placed their plates down on the table and joined Hao, Yoh, Liz, Pirika, and Tamao.

"This is our table so you're welcome to sit here anytime." HoroHoro notified him and began to gobble his food like mad.

"Thanks." Ryo grabbed his fork and also began to eat. Earlier, Sumi had introduced all of them and they accepted him pretty quickly.

Lyserg stopped eating and asked. "Hey, where's Ren at?"

Everyone shrugged and Ryo also stopped to ask. "What about Sumi?"

The same response was given. "No clue where they are." Pirika answered.

Yoh was leaning on one hand as he ate with the other. "I wonder where Anna is..."

Tamao gave a sad look at her food, but Yoh didn't notice because he was too busy thinking.

Pirika shot Liz an envious look because she was talking to Hao and both HoroHoro and Lyserg were eating their food to notice anything going on.

Ryo just shook his head and returned to eating. _No drama for me yet..._

The bell rang and Ren and Sumi got up to walk inside. "So what class do you have next?" Ren asked. They had talked all during lunch and bonded.

"Um," Sumi pulled her schedule out. "I got P.E."

"Same here. Then we're heading to the gym." Ren directed.

"Okay." She nodded and followed him.

When they turned the corner of the hall, they bumped into four fangirls. Without thinking, Ren reached for Sumi's hand and grabbed it, holding tightly in his.

Sumi pursed her lips together as she watched the four girls stopped in front of them and turned to face them. They noticed Ren holding Sumi's hand and Ren and Sumi noticed that they were popping veins to control themselves. "Sumi Mitsuki." A girl stepped forward. "We know you're a fake and that you're just using Ren to protect yourself. How inconsiderate! So we're going to proof that you are a FAKE!" She pointed at Sumi's face.

"What do you think-" Ren started.

"Stay out of this Ren!" The girl cut him off and she looked menacingly at Sumi. "You're going to have to admit it sooner or later." With a huff, the girl turned and walked off with the others following her.

Ren and Sumi shared a glance and she gave him an uneasy smile with a shrug.

"Okay, let's go." Ren let go of her hand and stuffed them in his pockets.

When they got to the gym, Sumi found out that she had to get her gym clothes and locker combination from the gym office so things were hectic for a bit. However once she finished changing, she was late to class.

She rushed out onto the basketball courts and went up to the teacher. He was a typical P.E. teacher, buff, fit, and very demanding. As he was telling her the rules for this class, she noticed that this was another class where everyone was there.

He assigned her to a team because everyone had already picked their group when she was frantically trying to open her locker. Each team is suppose to play another team that was assigned to them and that was what they were doing that day. When Sumi approached her teammates, she realized that all of them are fangirls of Hao and Yoh. Sumi gave them a slight nod and looked at their opposing team. It was Liz and the four girls that Ren and Sumi bumped into before coming to the gym.

Sumi scratched her head nervously. _I hope this goes well._ As Liz and the four girls approached her, they smirked. The girl who threatened her before greeted her. "Hey Faker. Show us what you got."

Sumi just smiled and the game started. Her opposing team worked well together and made the first shot without a problem. On the second shot, Sumi passed the ball over to one of her teammates to make the shot, but without warning, she turned and ran the opposite direction. She shot it and earn the opposing team another 2 points. Sumi was stunned.

"Do you get it now?" The girl had on a smug look. "It's you against all of us. You're lagging behind four points now."

Sumi bit her lip. _Oh, this is going to be hard..._ She closed her eyes for a second and let out a breath of air, then ran after them.

On the next court, Ren glanced over to Sumi. _Damn, they're teaming up against her, even Liz._

"Ren! The ball!" HoroHoro called out.

Ren swiftly turned around and caught the ball. Without hesitating, he dribbled and ran up to the hoop and made a layup. When he landed on the floor and the ball fell through the net, he looked back over to the next court.

Sumi was giving it her all. She made a shot everytime she got the ball and made lots of interceptions and blocks. Her score was catching up with theirs rapidly.

Hao and the others stopped and watched what Ren was seeing. "Wow! Sumi's crazy!" HoroHoro shouted.

"Yeah, I'll say." Lyserg noted.

Yoh scratched his head. "I wonder what else she's good at."

Hao sat down on top of the ball. "They're all against her."

The girls were all guarding the net and Liz stood in front of Sumi, blocking her way. She couldn't get past them and was breathing heavily.

"You can't go anywhere Sumi." Liz stated.

Sumi answered between her breaths. "Yeah, I know." So she jumped up and shot from where she was standing. The ball circled the rim and fell through, earning her 3 points, making her one point ahead of them.

"Dang. Nice shot." Ryo stated as he watched. He was in the team playing against Hao and the others, alongside with Keigo, the twins, and one other guy. When Ren stopped and started watching, it made all of them also stop and watch them.

The game started again without waiting for Sumi to catch her breath. She hastily intercepted a pass and went for an opening to her hoop. As she jumped to make a shot, she felt someone tackle her and she fell backwards to the ground.

Sumi slid a little across the floor on her back. Sumi laid there for a second, breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath then she pushed herself onto her elbows. The girl stood there with her arms crossed with the rest of the girls behind her. "Faker, Ayame gave you a chance to join us, but you denied rudely. I, Mika, am giving you one last chance that you can no longer have later on. What do you think?"

Sumi licked her lips and opened her mouth. "I-"

"I would like you to think carefully." Mika stated.

Sumi smiled and let out a breath of air. "I'll pass."

Mika glared. "You can't change this decision so prepare for a world of torment and cruelty. We know you are lying about Ren being together with you because," One hand stuck out with her palms up to show Liz. "Liz knows that you aren't with him, Sumi Mitsuki. You only met him today."

Sumi bit her lip and without warning Ren appeared next to her. "What do you think you know?" Ren growled angrily.

"Sumi." Ren looked down at her and gave her a hand up. After Sumi stood up beside him, he turned back to glare angrily at them. "So what if I just met her today. What does that mean? I could of asked her out today. It only takes a few minutes to like someone. And should it matter to you who I choose? It's my life."

Mika looked uneasy and nervous at his appearence. "But all we want is proof."

"Proof? You want proof?" Within a second, with his left arm, Ren grabbed Sumi and swiftly flipped her to his left side and kissed her.

Mika and the girls gasped in shock, while other fangirls on further courts squealed and pointed, causing the P.E. teacher to turned to stare at them and catch Ren in the act.

"REN!" The teacher's voice boomed through the gym.

Ren flipped Sumi back to the spot standing next to him and looked towards the voice. He saw the teacher stomping towards him and turned back to Mika and the girls in front of him who were wide-eyed with surprise. He growled dangerously to them. "Don't you ever dare touch her ever."

"Tao Ren!"

Ren's name was called out again and since he was short-tempered, Ren shouted angrily. "What?!?"

In the mass of events that was happening, Liz was lost in thought. _Wow. What's wrong with this world? I can't believe one of the hot guys kisses Sumi on her first day. What is this mess? Who would want to kiss Sumi?_

Anna was standing in a few courts over, straining to see. _What's going on? _

_What is Ren thinking? _

_This isn't good._

_What's going to happen now? _

_Stupid Ren. He's causing problems, not helping the problems. _

_I hope Sumi will be okay... Stupid Ren..._


	5. Chapter 5

.:So This is How it is:.

_If everyday was as interesting as today, I think I'll die of a heart attack._

_There's too much drama._

_What else could happen?_

Anna rested her head on her arms and looked forward at the board. Ren had been pulled to the side and got a scolding along with Sumi right after. The image of Ren kissing Sumi replayed in her mind and she pursed her lips together. There was a slight uneasy feeling for some odd reason. It was very uncomfortable.

Anna sighed and closed her eyes. _I want today to end already..._

The classroom door banged open nosily and Yoh rushed in breathing heavily. Anna opened her eyes to see her teacher and classmates looking startled as Yoh's eyes searched the room. His eyes stopped on Anna and he quickly rushed over.

_Uh oh... What's going on now?_

Yoh grabbed Anna's arm and pulled her out of her seat. "Excuse me and Anna Teacher, but we have an emergency!" Yoh said hastily and ran out the door dragging Anna.

She barely had time to react as he pulled her out into the hall and started running. _What's happening? Emergency?_

"Yoh! What are you doing?" Anna shouted as she tried to keep up.

Yoh didn't glance back at her, but simply replied, "I'll explain in the car. I borrowed Hao's keys in case you're wondering about the car."

They hopped into the car and sped out of the parking lot into the street with tires squealing. Anna's eyes shrunk to dots as she watched Yoh drive like Hao, very recklessly.

"Doing alright Anna?" Yoh asked and looked at her.

Anna nodded. Yoh seemed more serious and worried as he gave her little glances as he drove. "So... my grandmother recieved a phone call... then she called my mother and my mother called me..." Yoh hesitated. "There was an accident..." He stopped the car and Anna looked up to see where she was. At the hospital.

_Oh my god..._ Anna quickly got out of the car and ran towards the doors with Yoh following closely behind.

She ran through the glass doors and into the halls of the hospital. She didn't know where she was going or even where to look, so she just ran frantically looking for any familiar faces. _What's happening?_

"Anna." Yoh grabbed her arm and pulled her around the corner into another hall. He stopped in front of a room and gave her a worried glance then opened the door.

Anna felt so dazed. She wasn't registering everything that was happening that quickly or what she was expecting. Anna walked through the door to see her mother laying on the hospital bed. "Mother!"

She ran to her mother's side and grabbed her hand. Her mother was laying there unconcious with a couple bandages wrapped around various parts of her body. "Are you alright?" Anna rubbed her mother's hand against her cheek. _This is happening too fast..._

Anna stood up. "Where's my father?"

"Miss Anna. He is over here." Her butler bowed and gestured his arm at the far end of the room. A curtain separated them from seeing him.

Without missing a beat, Anna dashed over and pulled the curtain. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying. On the bed laid a person wrapped almost completely in bandages. "Father..." She went up beside him and held his hand as she shut her eyes tightly. "Oh Father..."

"Don't worry about me Anna dear. I'm fine." He gave a faint laugh. "Look I'm a mummy!" He stuck out both arms and made fake roaring sounds.

Anna looked at her father sadly. "That's not funny Father. Mummies don't roar."

Her father's bruised face smiled sadly back up at her. "Cheer up Anna. Don't be like that. Everything will be just fine. I promise."

"If your father says so, then it must be true. So don't worry Anna." Yoh was standing at the foot of Mr. Kyoyama's bed and smiling cheerfully now.

"Yoh Asakura." Her father smiled. "Wise words. Thank you for bringing Anna to see us during our time of need. I really appreciate this."

Yoh chuckled. "No problem at all Mr. Kyoyama. I'm glad that I could be of help."

Anna stood up. "What happened Father? Who did this?"

"Who isn't a big deal." He looked at her and saw her wrinkle her brow. "Your mother and I were driving to work from lunch and we just happen to get into a car accident. Accidents do happen so it's alright." Her father eyes widened for a second as he remembered something. "Oh shoot, I need to call Mr. Mitsuki and apologize for not making it to the meeting."

"Mr. Mitsuki?" Anna gave a quick glance at Yoh then back to her father. "Does he happen to have a daughter?"

Her father nodded. "He has two actually. One from his first wife and one from his second. I think he remarried about a year ago. Why?"

"Oh because they're at our school and we met them when they first moved in." Anna stated.

"I heard from him that both his daughters are very pretty and talented. What do you think Yoh Asakura?"

Yoh looked surprised for minute then smiled. "Yes, they are."

"One of his daughters is half-chinese and half-japanese, I believe. Oh, I think he said his wife is pregnant at this moment." He smiled. "He said he wanted a boy from what I remembered."

Anna gave a not very enthusiastic look. _The inconsiderate wife is pregnant? Oh great... I wonder if Sumi knows?_

"I don't think his daughters know yet." He answered her question without her asking. "So Anna, I hope things are going well for you." He gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry that your mother and I don't have time to spend with you. Please forgive us. We do care about you."

Anna looked away embarassed. "Don't worry. I'm doing fine. I know you're busy."

"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of you at prom and you graduating this year. My little girl is growing up. Soon she can take over the company." Her father chuckled.

Anna smiled gently in return. "I hope you get well quickly Father."

"Yes. Yes. Of course." He blinked and realized something. "Aren't you suppose to be in class Anna?"

Anna scratched her head. "Well..."

"I pulled her out of class when I got the phone call. I figured family is more important so I don't want her to lose any chances." Yoh grinned.

Mr. Kyoyama smiled back at Yoh. "Yoh Asakura, I want to see how you turn out in the future. I'm sure you will be very successful."

Yoh rubbed his neck. "Thank you Mr. Kyoyama."

Anna also smiled at Yoh and he winked back at her.

Sumi stared blankly at the board. A deep thoughtul look covered her face as her eyes stared past everything. _This is barely the first day and it's like this. Are all rich people like this?_ _Where they just do as they please?_ A piece of paper landed on her desk and it brought her back from her thoughts.

It was covered in writing with hatred. Sumi sighed and started to fold the paper up. When she finished making the paper into a heart, she laid her chin on her desk. _Ren didn't have to go that far... I just want a normal life. How am I going to make friends here?_

Sumi closed her eyes and thought back. _I remember when I was young, I used to want to live in a big house, have servants, be pampered, live like a princess and have everything I ever imagined... But really, what is the point to it? What is most important to me is something I don't have and can never get..._

The bell rung and Sumi opened her eyes. _I need to work hard to try to make it close to what I want as possible!_

"Okay class, next week there is going to be a test on this material, so prepare for it. I'll see you guys tomorrow." The teacher announced before everyone scambled out of the classroom.

Sumi's face fell. _Starting with this test... _She sighed.

When school finally ended, Horohoro sat on a branch on a tree swinging his legs as he looked down on the rest of them. Yoh was laying on the grass with his eyes closed, Ren was leaning against the tree that he was on, Lyserg was sitting on a bench right beside the tree, and Hao was walking towards them.

"What's up guys?" Hao said as he dropped himself next to Lyserg onto the bench.

"What's up." Lyserg nodded at him.

"So Hao, I heard you asked Liz out already." Horohoro noted and looked down at him.

"How'd you know?" Hao raised his eyebrow.

Horohoro smirked. "Well she was only jumping in joy and shouting it out loud for the whole world to hear in the halls."

"Figures." Lyserg shook his head. "I think every girl has done that. Especially if Hao is the one asking them out."

Hao grinned. "That's right. No one can resist the irresistable sexy Hao Asakura."

"I don't think Hao's ego is going to shrink anytime soon." Yoh stated from where he was laying.

"Aw, don't be jealous Yoh. You can get as many girls as I do. We _do_ have the same beautiful face." Hao chuckled.

Yoh sighed and shook his head. He looked at Ren, who hasn't said anything yet. His eyes were closed and he had a slight uneasy expression on his face. Yoh sat up and looked at Lyserg and motioned his head towards Ren.

Lyserg shrugged. "Yo Ren, what's up with you and Sumi? What was that all about earlier?"

All of them focused their eyes on Ren, waiting for an explanation. There was a long pause, then finally Ren opened his eyes. "There's nothing between me and Sumi. As for that, I went a little too far without thinking."

"Right now, there's a lot of gossiping about you guys. Half says you guys are together and half says you're not." Horohoro informed.

"Let them say what they want." Ren looked over to the side and watched the people walk by them.

Yoh stood up. "You know Ren, you can say that, because your fans won't do anything to you, but it's going to be hard for Sumi. She's being put under a lot of pressure right now and I bet she doesn't have a clue about what's going on."

"Yeah, what you did to Sumi today was a bit unfair and really uncalled for." Lyserg pointed out. "You didn't take in how she was suppose to react to that... or what's suppose to happen next."

"I think you made it very complicated for yourself Ren." Horohoro jumped down from the branch. "You might have to go through with this for a bit."

"What do you mean?" Ren stared at HoroHoro. "Go through with what?"

"You have to be her boyfriend for now. Until you guys break up that is." He made a face at Ren. "You should know. You got yourself into this."

Ren humphed. "I was trying to help. If Yoh hadn't said anything this morning, we would have been fine."

Hao smirked. "This just makes things more interesting in our boring lives though."

"Oh yeah, I bet this will be fun." HoroHoro agreed.

Ren glared at them. "I'm not some stupid show you guys can watch."

"Sorry Ren. I don't know how you got into that position, but if you ever need help just tell us." Yoh looked over to Ren with a smile.

Ren just kept his calm image and turned away to see Anna coming towards them.

Anna walked over hastily and stopped in front of Hao. Without waiting for a second of delay, she got to the point. "Give me my keys."

Hao just smirked and stared at her. "Why hello Anna. I'm so touched that you asked ever so nicely and that you greeted me with such a beautiful radiant smile."

Anna grabbed his tie and pulled him closer to her. She leaned towards him with a threatening expression covering her face. "Cut the sarcasm Hao. I'm not in a really good mood right now so give me my keys."

"Only if you say please." Hao leaned a little closer to her face.

_Damn Stupid Hao Asakura. Does he have to make everyone feel lower than him?_ Anna gritted her teeth and muttered. "Please."

"Nah uh. Say please give me my keys Mr. Sexy Hao Asakura." Hao grinned.

_He's teasing me. He's amused to see me angry. Damn this guy. _Anna pulled his tie tighter. "Hao, don't test my limits."

"But I want to see what happens when you get very angry." He raised one of his eyebrows. "Do you go on a rampage?"

Anna's look would have killed him on the spot if it could.

There was a scream and then shouting. "Get away from my boyfriend you-"

Liz's sentence was cut short when Ren stepped in and grabbed Liz's arm to keep her from shoving Anna away from Hao.

"Think of the consequences before you do something." Ren stared down at her.

Anna let go of Hao's tie and moved away from him as she shifted her glare to Liz. _Oh great, she's back to provoke me._

"Speak for yourself." Liz shot back and pulled her arm back. She dogged at Anna before pouncing on Hao.

Hao smirked with her arms wrapped around his neck and hanging off of him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Anna's keys. He looked down at it in his hands and smiled, then glanced back at Anna. "Sorry Anna." He tossed her keys back to her. "Just seeing you makes me happier."

Her death glare still remained on him. She saw Liz gave her an envious look and Anna scoffed. "B.S. Whatever Hao." Anna turned away and stomped off, away from them.

Hao couldn't keep the grin off his face as he watched her walk away. Both Yoh and Ren sighed and shook their head at Hao's actions.

"Hao, what were you doing earlier? I thought you asked me out." Liz spoke up to get his attention.

He turned his smile down to Liz. "I did ask you. I was just poking fun at her that's all. Don't worry. Me and her would never happen." He touched the tip of his nose to hers and chuckled.

Lyserg stood up. "Well, I'll see you guys. Meet up later at six right?"

HoroHoro was now laying on the grass, against the tree. "Yeah, at my place."

Lyserg nodded and gave them a small wave before leaving. "Laters guys."

HoroHoro also jumped up. "Yeah, I think I should also get going. Wanna catch a ride Yoh and leave these two lovebirds alone?"

Yoh chuckled. "Of course. Let's go Ren." He nodded at his brother and followed HoroHoro.

Ren crossed his arms and shook his head at Hao once again then went after them.

"Later guys!" Hao called out and turned back to Liz.

Sumi turned around and walked back the way she came. _Darn it, I forgot my cell phone. I need to call Hiro for a ride back cause I don't know where Liz is._ She looked around and saw most of the sudents disappearing from the halls. _I either left it in the classroom or dropped it on the floor somewhere._ Her eyes scanned the floor for any sign of her phone.

The halls were now empty and this made it easier to look for it. Sumi finally spotted it lying on the floor by the stairs. She quickly rushed over and kneeled down to grab her phone. As she reached for it, she heard yelling and turned to see a grey-haired girl pushed against a locker. _There's bullying in this school... _Sumi bit her lip and quickly headed towards them.

"How dare you talk to him if you're not in the club? You aren't permitted to. Don''t you know the rules?" One of the girls grabbed her long hair and yanked it. "Stay away from them." She pulled out a lighter and two other girls grabbed her arms while one watched from behind. "You'll learn only after being punished." She flicked it on and moved it towards her hair as the girl struggled to get away.

"Hey! Leave her alone." Sumi smacked the lighter away and it slid down the hall. Sumi looked at the girl as she grabbed her hand to make her release the girl's hair. "What do you think you're doing? That's so messed up."

The girl looked confused for a second then angry. "It's none of your business." The other two girls released her and stood to the side.

"Faker, you should worry about your own problems." The other girl behind her watching walked forward towards her. "Remember me? Mika. Surely you remember."

Sumi frowned. "How can you do this to other people?" She glanced back at the girl who was cowering in fear and stood before her protectively.

"You show no fear and seem confident, so it means you have some ability of fighting... In that case, I would like to challenge you to a battle." Mika crossed her arms and tilted her head back.

"Who said I can fight? I don't hurt my classmates." Sumi answered. "Why do you do this?"

Mika gave a smug look and shoved her into the girl behind her and slapped her across her face. She raised her hand to hit her again, but was suddenly stopped.

Lyserg stared at her as he stood between them. "What do you think you're doing?"

Mika gritted her teeth and gave Lyserg a nervous look. "I-"

"Get away from here." Lyserg ordered and the girls nodded and scattered. He sighed and turned around to look at Sumi. "Are you alright Sumi?" He pulled her chin towards him and touched her cheek.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stings a little." Sumi looked at the girl behind her. "Sorry. Are you alright?"

The grey-haired girl nodded, but remained in her cowering position. "Thank you."

Sumi smiled. "No problem. My name is Sumi." She stuck out her hand so she can take it and shake it.

The girl looked at her hand and withdrew from her lowered position. She took Sumi's hand and looked at her in the eyes. "My name is Jeanne."

Her eyes were large and her facial features were very beautiful. "Nice to meet you." Sumi smiled and looked at Lyserg, who shifted his eyes to Sumi and then back to Jeanne.

"And I'm Lyserg." He stuck out his hand.

Jeanne smiled and shook it. "Yeah I know."

Sumi made a face. "Why were they bullying you?"

Jeanne gave a nervous smile. "Um, probably because I'm not in their fanclub and I talked to one of your friends."

Sumi gave her a sad look. _That sucks how they are limited to who they can talk to. Ren told me about this. Who made up this stupid rule?_ "I can't believe this..."

"Don't worry about this though. I really appreciate that you came to save me. They stopped messing with me for a while, but I think it's because Anna isn't here so yeah..." Jeanne shrugged. "Anna saved me a few times and I'm really grateful that there are people like her. But... right now, I think Anna is probably going to go through rough times too."

Sumi looked thoughtful and worried. _Anna... What can I do to help her?_

Lyserg spoke up. "I get a feeling that everyone is going to go through hard times... Come on, I'll give you guys a ride home."

Sumi and Jeanne looked at Lyserg and gave a smile of appreciation. "Thanks."

When they sat in the car, Lyserg said to Jeanne. "I'll take you home first."

Jeanne nodded shyly and told him her address.

Sumi glanced at Lyserg and turned around to look at Jeanne in the backseat. "So do you have any brothers or sisters?"

She shook her head. "I'm an only child, so I would be the heiress of my family's fortune..." She stated and also added quietly. "Whether I like to be or not..." She smiled and immediately asked. "What about you guys?"

Both Sumi and Lyserg caught what she whispered, but decided not to say anything. Sumi smiled back. "I have a step-sister. She goes to the school too."

Lyserg simply informed. "I'm an only child." He glanced at Sumi. "Liz is going out with Hao now."

"Already? Dang, she's fast." Sumi scratched her head.

Jeanne looked at Sumi. "Uh aren't you going out with Ren?"

A surprised and confused expression showed on Sumi's face for a second before she remembered and chuckled. "You're right."

Lyserg shooked his head and surpressed a grin. _How is she going to go on with this? This is interesting._

"When we get to my house, please come in for a cup of tea as my appreciation of thanks." Jeanne bowed her head a little.

Sumi looked at Lyserg, who shrugged in response. "Sure."

When they got there, Sumi's mouth dropped slightly open at the huge mansion. "Wow... your house is big."

Jeanne smiled. "It's okay. Not that big."

Lyserg stopped at the front of the door and everyone got out of the car. Sumi looked at the door with wide eyes. "This is big. What are you talking about?"

Lyserg smirked at her reaction and followed Jeanne to the door with Sumi tailing behind. When the doors open, maids and butlers greeted them with a loud welcome and a bow. Sumi could only stare in awe at how different rich people live like.

The head butler quickly ran up to Jeanne and bowed. "Welcome back Mistress Jeanne." He saw Lyserg standing next to her and his eyes grew wide. He quickly bowed to Lyserg. "Welcome to our humble home Mr. Diethel. Please come in and sit down." The butler bowed and indicated with his arm stretching towards the next room.

Lyserg glanced at the butler and then shifted his eyes to Jeanne, who gave him an uneasy nod. Sumi was watching the other maids and butlers beginning to whisper and talk amongst themselves before the head butler gave them a stern look. He led them to the living room and indicated to the couch. "Make yourself at home Mr. Diethel and Mistress Jeanne, tea will be with you shortly." He bowed and quickly left.

Lyserg, Sumi, and Jeanne sat down. "I'm sorry if you guys feel uneasy in any way. My househo-" Jeanne stopped when the maid came in with the tea and placed it on the coffee table. "Thank you." She bowed, smiled at Lyserg, and quickly walked out.

Lyserg looked at Jeanne with an expression that wasn't affected. "Don't worry about it. I'm use to it by now."

Jeanne's face relaxed a bit and she smiled as she looked back at Lyserg's calm face. "Alright."

Lyserg gazed over to the amazed Sumi and was amused that she found just about everything to be so interesting.

"I really would like to thank you guys for today. I really appreciate it. Thank you guys." Jeanne bowed her head and smiled.

Sumi smiled brightly back. "No problem. It was really nothing."

Lyserg nodded and drank a sip of his tea. He saw two people walk in with the butler and raised one of his eyebrows at Jeanne.

Jeanne saw them and gave him a nervous look. She stood up. "Mother, Father. What are you doing here?"

The couple walked up to them. "Your mother and I came back for lunch and we were just about to head out, but we heard that Young Mr. Diethel was here so we thought we should stop by and say hello before we leave." Her father answered. They looked towards Lyserg, who was still sitting and drinking his tea. "Welcome to our home Mr. Diethel. How do you do?"

Lyserg stood up and shook his hand. "Fairly well. What about you?"

"We're doing wonderful. How is your family?" Jeanne's father asked and they continued talking for another fifteen minutes before Jeanne spoke up. "Um, Sorry to interrupt, but I think Lyserg still needs to drive Sumi home."

"Oh, oh, that's right and we need to head back to work. We'll see you off then." Her father stated and stood up.

"It was nice meeting you." Lyserg shook his hand and they lead them to the door.

Jeanne gave them an apologetic look and bowed as they stood on the doorstep. "Bye guys."

"Bye, come back anytime!" Her parents called out to Lyserg.

Lyserg waved and got into his car along with Sumi. He gave Sumi a smirk as she raised her eyebrows at him.

Once they got onto the street, Sumi spoke up. "They really like you Lyserg."

"Of course. That's cause of business, money, and social status. People like them have secret motives for what they do." Lyserg stared straight ahead. "They want a chance for their business to grow and an opportunity to increase their level of standing."

"Jeanne didn't look like she wanted to know you to use you though." Sumi stated.

"Perhaps she did, perhaps she didn't. It doesn't really matter. People are all the same. Greedy. They always want to gain something. That's why they're nice to you." Lyserg informed.

"That's not true. Not everyone is greedy. Kindness isn't always shown because they want to benefit something. Sometimes it's natural. They're a lot of nice people out there." Sumi pointed out.

"Hardly. You look like the type that people are going to take advantage of because you think that way. But this world is harsh. It's not what you think. Not everything is happy and easy going." Lyserg said. _Though I still don't you that well, I can tell you are that kind of person. Selflessness will cause you to lose trust in people later on in life. I don't want to you people like you being taken advantage of because I bet that you would brush it off and still go on. But when it keeps happening over and over, soon that smile will fade and later it will disappear altogether._

Sumi made a face. "Of course it isn't, but it's easier if you think that way. It would be such a lonely world if you have no friends... Do you only hang out with Yoh and the gang?"

"Yes. They're the only ones that feel the same way I do. They understand because we all face the same things. Everyone else have ulterior motives. We all learned to read how people really are and most of the people contained greed."

Sumi smiled. "I'm glad. At least you guys have each other."

Lyserg gazed at her with the corners of his eyes. _I was right... I'm glad that you are one of the few people in this world like this. It's rare to come across people who are completely selfless. You and Yoh are the only ones that I met so far that I know for sure are truely really kind without a second thought._

"This is the first time I talked to you. I'm glad that it's so easy to have a conversation with you." Sumi looked at the sky. "You know, I was kind of afraid that I wouldn't be able to make any friends here since I would be changing to a completely different environment. From what I remember, before my father married Liz's mother, I lived in the middle class range. About half a year after they got married, we moved to the upper middle class. And half a year later, we are here now. I still haven't really adjusted to any of this. It's too fast."

"You'll learn that everything moves pretty fast pace when you have money." Lyserg said. "Money also have a lot of power and greed. It brings out the worst in people sometimes."

"I bet..." Sumi rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window.

He stole another glance at her. "If you ever need to talk, you can always come to me since we're friends now."

Her face brightened at his words and she beamed at him. "Thanks. I really appreciate it. You're really nice Lyserg."

He smiled back at her. "Thanks."

She chuckled. "So what do think about Jeanne? Hm? She's rather pretty."

Lyserg shrugged. "She is, but I bet they would want to get to know me for my money only."

Sumi's smile dropped a little. "Don't say that. You don't know if that is really what they want."

"It's true though. I see their greedy intentions. It's hard to make true friends here..."

_That's so sad..._ Sumi stated. "At least I found you guys to be my friends... "

"I bet without Yoh or Hao, our paths would have never crossed. Without them, everyone would've been different..." Lyserg looked at Sumi. "Without Hao or Yoh, none of us would have been friends. I'm glad I met them."

Sumi smiled gently. "I'm glad I met them too."

"You might have had a bad impression of Hao when you first met him Sumi, but he really is a nice person. He's just sometimes have a super large ego and becomes very inconsiderate about others, but he doesn't mean any harm. I think he's bored sometimes and does things to stir up excitement." Lyserg informed. "Though he is a big flirt, he likes seeing other people happy. Truthfully he is very delicate inside, like a little puppy." He chuckled. "Don't tell him I said that. He'll kill me."

Sumi laughed. "I won't. Don't worry. I kind of figured because when I said something this morning about lying and he looked really uncomfortable. I didn't mean to do that. There was also the time in class when he took over and didn't want Anna to get in trouble if she were to start a fight. He seems to have a cocky side and a nice side."

"Yeah. Hao cares about us though despite all the girls that he goes out with. A few of them told him to leave us to spend more time with them, but he never agreed to what they wanted since he values our friendship." He stared at the road. _Now that I think about it... Hao is an awesome guy. _"Hmm... Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Sumi shook her head. "No."

Lyserg looked surprised. "Then... Ren would be your first if he was real."

She nodded and made a face. "He stole my first kiss... I don't know what is going on right now..."

He also made a face. "Don't worry about it for now. Let Ren think this through."

"The problem is that Liz knows that I never had one. She probably knows all of this is a fake. She's probably going to ask me tonight or when I see her and I don't know what to say." Sumi looked worried. "What happens if I say one thing and he says another."

Lyserg thought for a bit. "Come with me tonight. We'll meet up with the guys and figure out this situation. I'll come pick you up at six yeah?"

"Uh sure."

Lyserg stopped in front of her house and looked over to Yoh's and Hao's place. It didn't look like they were home yet. "Alright then, I'll see you later. I got some errands to run." Sumi nodded and waved as Lyserg drove off. _Ren sometimes, you are like Hao. You didn't really think about what is going to happen next did you? I hope you can at least figure out something..._

Anna clutched her keys in her hand tightly and angrily as she sat in the backseat of the car as she headed home.

_Hao and Liz. They're going to cause me so much trouble._

_I bet they enjoy making my life miserable._

_I knew today was going to be drama status._

She sighed. _I hope Mother and Father are going to be alright. It scared me to find them at the hospital. I'm glad that Yoh told me._

_My heart was pounding so fast. I was scared. I hate that feeling._

_As for other feelings... I don't know..._

_The people... I don't know..._

_I think I should just keep my distance from them..._

_This is how it is..._

_How it's suppose to be..._

_I think I should avoid them before more trouble is caused..._

Anna sighed and closed her eyes, calming herself. _It is going to be hard to avoid them though..._


	6. Chapter 6

.:So This is How it is:.

_If there is evil in this world... It would most likely lie in the human heart..._ Lyserg sighed. He watched Sumi walk up her driveway and drove off.

Sumi entered her house and was greeted by Hitomi and Hiro warmly. "Hi guys!"

"Welcome home Sumi." Hitomi smiled at her.

Hiro stuttered. "Welcome home Ms.- Ms.- um... Sumi."

Sumi smiled at them. "Is it alright if we can go explore the town today?"

"Yes of course. Shall we leave in five minutes?" Hitomi asked.

"Yeah sure. I'll go put my stuff away." Sumi ran upstairs and into her room. She came back down with her clothes changed and humming a tune.

Hitomi had also changed her outfit along with Hiro and grinned at Sumi. "Shall we go?"

Sumi nodded happily and they headed to the garage and into the car.

Yoh was laying on HoroHoro's bed with his head hanging off the side. "You guys I'm kind of hungry."

Ren's backside was against HoroHoro's bed. "You're always hungry Yoh."

"If you want something to eat, I'll ask one of the maids to get something for you.' HoroHoro spun around to face them on his chair.

Yoh brightened. "Can you ask them to bring some oranges?"

HoroHoro made a face. "Of course Yoh, just for you. Man, what's up with you and oranges?"

"I just love them! They're so delicious!" Yoh sparkled happily with a big grin on his face. "It's like Ren and milk!"

Ren twitched. "I don't obsess over it like you though!"

HoroHoro shook his head and stood up. "I'll ask for some milk too..." Before he reached his door, there was a knock and he opened it to find his younger sister, Pirika and her best friend, Tamao standing there holding a tray with snacks. "Pirika?"

"Onii-chan!" She was grinning happily and walked past her confused brother through the door. "I brought some snacks!"

Yoh sat up staight and looked over to Pirika coming with the tray. "Do you have oranges?"

"Yes, of course!" Pirika put the tray on the ground and sat down too.

HoroHoro was still standing at the door, holding it open and looking confused.

"Um.. Um... is it okay if I come in?" Tamao asked nervously.

He snapped back. "Oh yeah, sure..."

"T-Thanks." Tamao walked in with the other tray and went to sit down beside Pirika.

HoroHoro sighed and closed his door, returning to his seat at the computer.

"Look Ren! They brought milk too!" Yoh shouted happily with an orange in his hand.

"Shut up Yoh." Ren growled, a bit embarrassed.

Pirika poured Ren a glass of milk and handed it to him. "Where's Hao and Lyserg?"

"Oph, They'remf coomphing lafer." Yoh answered with oranges in his mouth. He swallowed and said happily with glitters sparkling all around him. "Thanks guys for bringing oranges."

"No problem." Pirika answered.

"N-n-no prob-b-blem." Tamao replied quietly and blushed at the sight of him smiling.

HoroHoro shook his head. _Not a good idea to have Pirika here._ He knows that his sister is the fanclub and probably going to fish for information for the other girls to gossip about. He really does care about his sister, but doesn't really approve of her being with those group of girls. HoroHoro knows that Pirika has the biggest crush on Hao and that Tamao is totally in love with Yoh, but he would never approve of her dating Hao if that were to ever happen. Hao is too much of a flirt.

"Why are you here Pirika?" HoroHoro asked.

Pirika pouted. "Can't I be here HoroHoro? I just want to spend some time with you guys."

Yoh looked at HoroHoro. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just that..." He hesitated.

"Please? Can't I just hang out with you guys?" Pirika gave him the puppy eyes. "Onii-chan..."

Yoh's eyes grew big. "Aww... HoroHoro-chan..."

HoroHoro sweatdropped at both Pirika and Yoh giving him the puppy eyes and pleading with such a sad look. "Yeah... yeah... stay... whatever..." _Dammit Yoh! Why do you have to encourage her? Don't be so easily affected by what other people say._ He sighed and smiled. _Yoh... you're too ridiculous..._

HoroHoro laughed. "Yoh, you're so lame." _You didn't have to use your puppy eyes on me. I owe you a lot..._ He turned back to the computer. He could hear Pirika cheering in the background and he smiled.

Anna was laying on her bed when her cellphone rang. She reached over to her dresser and grabbed it.

"Hello?" Anna laid back onto her pillow as she pressed her phone to her ear.

"Hi Anna. How are you?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Oh hi Jeanne. I'm doing alright. How are you?"

"I'm alright... I got bullied today though."

Anna sat up. "WHAT? Are you okay? I'm sorry!"

"No. I'm alright Anna, don't worry. A girl named Sumi saved me and Lyserg and her took me home." She notified.

Anna sighed and smiled. "At least you're alright. I'm glad. I'm sorry I left without waiting for you."

"It's alright. You don't always have to wait for me. I know there are things going on for you too. After all, Yoh only came running into the room and then both of you guys were gone in a second. The teacher didn't even catch what happened." Jeanne paused. "It's weird though. They haven't bullied me for a while and then out of nowhere they come. I don't get why."

"Strange. Maybe they have nothing to do."

"So, why did you leave with Yoh? Did something happen?"

"Yeah... It's cause my parents are in the hospital because of an accident." Anna stated.

Jeanne gasped. "I'm sorry Anna. Are they alright?"

"Yeah. They're fine. I was really scared though." Anna sighed.

Jeanne also sighed. "Tell them when you see them that I hope they get well soon."

"Sure."

"Anna... Have you ever been in love?" Jeanne asked.

"No. I don't think love all that wonderful..." Anna replied.

"Why do you say that Anna?"

"Because if you fall in love, you'll get hurt."

"But, if you don't fall in love, you're lonely." Jeanne replied. "No one wants to be lonely."

Anna hesitated and didn't say anything because she had only realized that recently that that was true.

"Someone told me before that love feels like when you just spin and spin with your arms out. A very happy feeling..." Jeanne gave a small laugh. "I think that's how I feel right now."

Anna smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure if this is good or not, but I think... I like Lyserg." Jeanne stated.

Anna opened her mouth and then closed it. She gave an inward sigh and spoke up. "Lyserg as in the person that hangs out with Hao and them?"

"Yeah. Isn't that the only Lyserg in this school?" Jeanne asked.

Anna bit her lip. "Yeah, but I think falling for one of them is a bad idea. They're trouble." _I should speak for myself... I don't know what's going on with me and them._ "You've seen their fanclubs. Actually you're being attacked by them already. Falling for them is just asking for more."

"Anna, I know, but I can't help it. Seeing him up close allowed me to see how cute he was. He's so nice too! I thought about it, but I can't stop the happy feeling when I think about him. He's so handsome!" Jeanne squealed happily.

She shut her eyes. "Okay. If that's what you decided, you're going to be in for drama. Don't say that I didn't tell you later on when it happens."

"Yeah. I know." Jeanne paused as she heard her name being called. "I got to go, someone is calling me. Oh wait, let me tell you one more thing. You should be careful Anna because everyone is talking about how Yoh came in and dragged you out. Haha. Don't talk about me getting into a mess with them, you're already in a drama involving them. Anyways, I'll talk to you later Anna. Bye."

"Bye." Anna laid back onto her bed. _She's right. I'm already getting pulled into this mess even though I tried to avoid it as much as I could. How did this happen? I don't even know what I want right now..._

"Sumi. You should be careful." Hitomi warned as she walked behind her beside Hiro.

Sumi turned around with a bright smile. "Don't worry Hitomi. I'll be fine." She turned back around and crashed into someone, causing both of them to fall backwards._ So I say..._

"Sumi!" Hitomi and Hiro rushed forward.

The other person grabbed her arm and pulled her back into standing position. She had shut her eyes due to the impact and opened them to apologize to the other person. Sumi bowed quickly. "Sorry! And thank you!" When she stood back up straight, Keigo was smirking at her.

"No problem." His eyes shifted to Hitomi and Hiro watching behind her then back to her. "Don't walk into anymore people."

The twins popped up behind Keigo and grinned. "Hey it's Sumi."

She smiled. "Oh hi."

"Let's bounce guys." Keigo gave Sumi a grin and walked off with the twins following behind.

_Keigo seems kind of strange sometimes._ Sumi watched them leave and pondered.

"See Sumi, I told you to be careful." Hitomi stated.

She smiled at Hitomi. "I bet it wouldn't have happened if you didn't say anything. Let's go." They went inside different stores, looking at stuff and shopping.

They were inside a clothing store, when Sumi turned to Hitomi. "I'm going next door. I'll be right back okay?"

Hitomi nodded and looked around for Hiro, but he was nowhere to be found.

Sumi looked at the name of the restaurant. _Happiness_. _Interesting name. _She smiled and walked through the door. Inside was beautifully decorated and had a homely atmosphere. She looked around, it was a restaurant/bar and a small stage. At that moment, it didn't look too crowded, but there were a few people there.

A waiter went up to her. "Welcome to Happiness. Are you looking for someone perhaps?"

She held up her hands. "Oh no, I'm just looking around."

"Oh, okay. Well, my name is Manta and I'm one of the owners of this place. Sorry if this is going to sound very direct to you, but I'm sort of desperate. This restaurant just opened up about a week ago and we're still short on workers, so I'm just wondering if you would like to work for us." He smiled at her. "My partner in this business is over there, behind the bar. His name is Ryu." The waiter pointed at a tall man who waved at him. "I know this is sudden and surprising that I would ask my customers this, but we are in dire need of help."

_A job... That's a good idea... _Sumi smiled. "Um, sure. I'll help out." _He looks kind of small for someone to own a business._

"Thank you so much. Please follow me. We need to record your name, number, and hours that you are available to work." Manta stated and led her behind the bar. "Ryu, this is our new employee." He said to the tall man.

Ryu suddenly lifted her hand and kissed it, throwing Sumi completely off guard. "It's a pleasure to meet a pretty girl like you. My name is Ryu, may I ask for yours?"

Sumi gave him a strange look. "My name is Sumi. Nice to meet you."

Manta gave a nervous chuckle at Ryu's actions. "Ryu also owns an auto shop so he won't be around as frequently as I would. So we will need as much help as we can get. Anyways, lets get your information down."

Sumi followed him behind the doors into what looked like a locker room with a table in the center. They went over the paperwork quickly and within 3 minutes, they finished.

"And that's all I need for now. So next time, when you come back, I'll give you a training and teach you everything you need to know. Thanks Sumi." Manta said.

Sumi smiled. "No problem."

"I really appreciate this. Sorry that this is very sudden though." Manta bowed.

Sumi stuck out her hands and waved no. "It's alright. Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that I can help out."

"When do you think you can start?" Manta asked. "If you could come tomorrow that would be great because I'm going to be training some other new employees that we just hired."

"Ah, tomorrow is fine. I'll come after school." Sumi informed.

"That's great. Thanks once again." Manta said as they walked out.

She grinned. "No problem. I'll see you tomorrow. Some people are waiting for me."

"Alright then. Bye." Manta waved as she walked out through the door.

Right as she walked outside, she bumped into Hiro. "Oh hi Hiro."

"Ms... Sumi. I was looking for you." Hiro gave her a worried look.

"Oh, why what's up?" Sumi asked and stuck her hands into her jean pockets.

Hiro scratched his head. "Hitomi told me to come find you so you won't be alone."

Sumi tilted her head and grinned. "Thanks. Is she still in the store?"

Hiro looked away and blushed. "Um, yeah. She's paying right now."

"Okay. Oh Hiro, I found a job and I'm starting tomorrow," She leaned in and whispered. "But don't tell anyone alright? Hitomi and Yuki can know though, I don't mind."

"Where are you working at?" Hiro's concerned face returned.

Sumi turned around happily and pointed at the restaurant. "Happiness!" She looked at him and said. "Dad and the others might not approve of it though, so that's why I don't want you to let them know."

"Might not approve of it? I think for sure they won't let you work here." He gave her an uneasy look.

"Probably. Anyways what's taking Hi-"

"SUMI MITSUKI!"

They turned to see Hitomi walking towards them with her head lowered along with an angry looking Mary stomping towards them. Sumi gave a quick and nervous glance to Hiro and then back to Mary.

When she stopped in front of them, both Sumi and Hiro bowed their heads. "Hello Mrs. Mitsuki."

"Mary." Sumi looked at her face. "What are you doing here?"

Mary shook her finger at her. "What am **I** doing? Why did you take both Hiro and Hitomi out when they need to be working at home? We are not paying them to go shopping." She turned to Hitomi and Hiro. "We are not paying you to go shopping." She repeated.

"If you needed a ride here, you could have them drop you off and have them pick you up later. Or if you want them to accompany you then you only need one of them, but you don't need both of them to be with you!" Mary lectured. "I needed someone to take me here, but neither Hiro or Hitomi could be found, so I had to ask Yuki to do **their** job!"

Sumi scratched her head at her yelling. Some people had stopped and stared, trying to see what was the big fuss about. She gave a slight grin. "Calm down Mary. It's no big deal."

"No big DEAL? It is! I ha-"

"Lady. I can hear you from a mile away. You probably even woke the dead from the grave. Can you not disturb the peace of the innocent civilians with your horrid voice?"

All of them turned to see a boy in his school uniform with a pair of twins standing behind him. _Keigo... Uh oh..._ Sumi suddenly became nervous at what could happen.

"Excuse me? What place do you have to insult me like that?!? How dare you butt into our business when you have NO place to?!?" Mary flared up.

Keigo remained calm with a smugged look. "Madam. It **IS** my business when you disrupt my peacefulness."

"Peacefulness? Normal boys would be doing other things rather than picking fights with a older woman. SO SCRAM AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

He crossed his arms. "I didn't want to see Sumi lose her hearing due to your screeching voice, so I just had to come and help her."

Mary hastily snapped her head towards Sumi and asked accusingly as if it was a crime. "You know this boy?" She pointed at Keigo. "Is he your friend? I don't want you hanging out with people like him. People like him that butt into other people's business rudely when he has no place to are disrespectful inconsiderate gold-diggers. I knew you were a bad one Sumi! This just proves to me what kind of person you are by the people you become friends with!"

"I-I... You can't judge me by the people I hang out with. I just have him as my classmate, I barely know him! Plus you can't just assume that he's a bad person! What would that make yo-" Sumi got cut off as Mary's hand went across her cheek. It surprised her that it took a second for everything to register correctly. Her hand went up to her cheek. _That's the second time today that I got slapped. I didn't even do anything... Today just isn't my day..._

Keigo, the twins, Hiro, and Hitomi all looked as equally shocked and worried.

"Mrs. Mitsuki! I don't think that was right of you to-" Hiro started.

"You have no say in this! Do you want to be fired?"Mary hissed and Hiro shut his mouth quickly.

Mary took a deep breath and calmed herself a bit. "I know what you are going to say Sumi and I don't think you would want to ever want to finish that sentence. I'm just in a bad mood today. Bad eggs like you and h-"

_I wasn't going to say what she thought I was going to say... _Sumi quickly cut in. "How about you go shopping right now and Hiro will accompany you? I'll head back home with Yuki and Hitomi, so they can go back to doing what they are doing okay? Okay. Sounds good. I'll see you later then Mary." Sumi quickly walked away before Mary could say anything to stop her. She sighed. The reason why she volunteered Hiro rather than Hitomi was because Mary fancied guys better than girls, so there was no other options. She would be nicer to Hiro than to Hitomi, so Sumi figured it was a better idea to take Hitomi with her. She rubbed her cheek and called Yuki as Hitomi followed her when she walked down the street, leaving them behind her.

Keigo gave a concerned look at Sumi's retreating back then turned around and walked off, ignoring the lady with anger issues. _I hope you're okay..._

Yuki somehow pulled the car right before Sumi within the second his phone rang and quickly got out. He was about to rush over and open the door for her, but she motioned for him not to and got into the passenger seat. Hitomi situated herself inside her car and they drove off, leaving Hiro and Mary, who became cheerful again**. (Probably because she was going to shop.)**

"How did you get here so fast Yuki?" Sumi asked in the car.

Yuki stared ahead as he drove. "I heard Mrs. Mitsuki's voice from a mile away and got there in time to see what happened. Are you alright Sumi?" He glanced at her.

Sumi smiled and nodded at him. "I'm alright. She's just having a bad day I bet." Sumi stared out the window. _Sometimes it hurts a lot to hear such unkind words... whether they mean it or not... I know Keigo can't be a bad person because he was only just concerned, but to be put down... It feels horrible... I hope he's doing okay too..._

Hitomi shared with Yuki a worried glance and decided to just let things be. They weren't allowed to interfere with what goes on in the family because it was part of their contract when they decided to work. Interfering could get them fired and all of them needed their jobs. It was something normal people wouldn't offer and a job normal young people wouldn't take. The pay is out of the ordinary and is well worth taking.

Hitomi also stared out of her window. _Mrs. Mitsuki wasn't very happy with me... I was the only one who actually bought stuff... Hiro and Sumi didn't get anything..._ She sighed in her head. _I should spend less. I need to save up and move to a better life. To a better future..._

Hitomi had left what was left of her home to start her own life. Though she knew it was selfish of her, but there was no other choice if she wanted a future.

Her father was a drug addict, so he always needed money. He had quit his job when she was barely starting college and during that time, her mother encouraged her to keep studying hard and not worry about anything. Her family wasn't rich and in fact was already suffering financially, so the load on her mother was hard. During her last year of college, her mother passed away unexpectantly, thus resulting everything to be thrown onto her. She had no choice, but to drop out of college and begin working. She had picked up a job at a local supermarket and barely made enough to support them and her father's drugs. There were a lot of arguments between them and things always got out of hand when her father's friends came over. After a few years, Hitomi decided to take charge and saved some money for herself. She needed to get away from what was left of her life.

One day when Hitomi was looking for a job in a newspaper, she saw an odd ad looking to hire a honest maid that was of a young age with a great pay. Normal young girls didn't take jobs as a maid and usually maid were for older women who had no experience. It was also a requirement that they live in the house too which made it even more difficult for normal people to take the job. Lucky for her it was perfect, she quickly called the number and arranged for an interview. If she did get the job, she decided that this is the time for her to start her new life.

A flashback quickly replayed in her mind.

_"What did you say?" Her angry looking father was staring at her with wide eyes._

_Hitomi swallowed. "I'm leaving Father. I can't take this anymore. I need to follow my dreams and not be tied down to you."_

_"I'm tying you down? AM I?" Her father yelled. "If I am then go. GO and not let me tie you down!"_

_"That's not what I meant Fa-"_

_"That's exactly what you meant. So leave!" He pointed to the door. "If you want to then leave!"_

_Hitomi sobbed. "I'm sorry Father..." She picked up her duffle bag and walked towards the door sniffling._

_"If you walk out through that door then you aren't __**ever**__ coming back. It means you are leaving this home for good." Her father informed. "I'm serious."_

_Hitomi stopped and hesitated, then closed her eyes and walked out through the door. "Goodbye Father..."_

_Her father's mouth was hanging open at her back as she kept walking and not looking back._

Hitomi shook her head and leaned it against the window. During the interview, Mrs. Mitsuki had eyed her up and down and only asked her a few questions such as if she knew how to clean, obey orders, drive, have a license, how old she was, etc.. It was at the end of the interview that Mrs. Mitsuki liked her and told her the reason they were hiring young workers was because of her daughter and that she needed looks to matter as well. Hitomi had sighed in relief because she didn't look too bad and was glad that she got the job.

The car stopped and she saw that Yuki quickly got out to open the door for Sumi, but she had opened the door herself and walked out.

"Uh, Sumi. I'm suppose to open the door for you. It was one of the rules that I'm suppose to follow." Yuki stated and scratched his head because he was confused.

Sumi grinned at him. "Yeah, I know, but none of those rules apply to me. That would just make me more of a lazy person then I already am. So it's okay." She walked into the house and Yuki just stared after her then looked over to Hitomi, who just smiled. _Somehow, I'm glad that Sumi's different..._

Lyserg walked out of his house and into his car. _I forgot to get Sumi's number to call her. Hopefully she doesn't mind if I ring the doorbell._

He shrugged and drove towards the house he had dropped her off at. _Should I tell the others? _Lyserg thought for a bit. _I'll call HoroHoro once I pick Sumi up._

He stopped in front of the door and got out of his car. He had only just rung the doorbell when Mrs. Mitsuki was walking up the doorstep.

She looked at him curiously from the backside. It was some handsome young boy. _Perhaps he's looking for Liz. _"Excuse me, are you looking for somebody?"

Lyserg turned around and pulled off his sunglasses to see a lady with a butler, who was carrying shopping bags. "Oh, um-"

The door suddenly opened and Hitomi asked. "Hello, how may I help you?" Then she spotted Mrs. Mitsuki and quickly bowed. "Welcome home Mrs. Mitsuki."

Lyserg gave a nervous smile and bowed to the lady. "Hello, my name is Lyserg Diethel and I'm looking for Sumi."

_Lyserg Diethel? _Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at him happily. "Oh, my name is Mary Mitsuki. Pleasure to meet you. Come, come on in." She indicated through the door and into the living room. "Have a seat." She turned to Hitomi. "Could you bring some tea?"

Lyserg sat down calmly. "I'm just quickly stopping by to pick up Sumi and then I have to go, so there's no need."

"No, no. Just have a cup with me. It will be really quick, I promise." Mrs. Mitsuki insisted.

Lyserg sighed in his head and nodded. _Whose mother is this? Sumi's? Liz's? Or both? Or is their father the same? I didn't ask._

"So Lyserg, you attend the same school as Liz and Sumi, am I correct?" Mrs. Mitsuki asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Mitsuki." He answered. _Oh great..._

She beamed with happiness. "I know this may come off rather blunt and rude, but are you the Diethel as in Diethel Corp? As in the only son and heir to Diem Diethel?"

_She's one of those people..._ Lyserg swallowed and answered. "Yes, Mrs. Mitsuki."

Inside her head, she was jumping in joy and squealing with happiness. _What are the chances that these rich handsome boys are walking up to my doorstep? Oh, I can't wait to tell this to my friends. _"Do you help out your family in the business? Is it a lot of work for you?" She asked as she handed him a cup of tea.

_Do I have to talk business with every person I see?_ Lyserg answered her questions as she kept asking them and this continued for about ten minutes before Lyserg asked. "May I ask where is Sumi?"

Mrs. Mitsuki simply replied. "Oh, the butler went to go get her already." She smiled. "Have you met Liz yet?"

Lyserg nodded. "Yes, I have." _How long does it take to get Sumi? Hurry up already._

Mrs. Mitsuki then went from asking so many questions about Diethel Corp to talking and praising so much about Liz. And this continued on for another five minutes before Sumi was hungry and wanted to get a snack.

She came down the stairs and saw Lyserg listening to Mary talk nonstop about Liz. "Lyserg?"

He looked at her and jumped up excitedly, ready to leave. "Sumi."

"Um, oh welcome home Mary." Sumi bowed.

Lyserg walked up to her. _Well, that destroyed all doubt of her being Sumi's mother._ "Are you ready to go?"

"Oh, let me get my bag. Wait here." Sumi said and was about to run back up the stairs, but Lyserg grabbed her arm.

"It's okay. You don't need it. Lets go." Lyserg told her quickly. There was no way he wanted to spend another minute alone with the lady. He turned and hastily bowed to Mrs. Mitsuki. "Bye Mrs. Mitsuki. It was a pleasure meeting you. I'm sorry that I have to go."

"Oh, it's alright dear. Come back soon and visit anytime." Mrs. Mitsuki grinned happily at him.

"Alright. Bye." He waved and dragged Sumi along with him.

"Bye everyone." She managed to say before she was out the door.

Lyserg hopped into his car as Sumi got into the passenger seat. "Was that your step-mother or mother?"

"Step-mother." Sumi answered.

He started the engine and shifted his gear. "Thought so. I just wanted to be sure in case I mixed it up or something."

She smiled at him. "No worries."

"Anyways, what took you so long? She said the butler went to get you a while ago." Lyserg stated as he drove.

Sumi gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about? No, he didn't. I didn't even know you were here. I only went downstair because I was ...hungry..." Sumi said slowly as her stomach growled and chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

_Twisted people..._ Lyserg looked at her. "It's alright. We'll get some snacks at HoroHoro's place. He has tons of food, don't worry. He loves to eat. And probably later we might grab some food. Oh speaking of which..." Lyserg pulled out his phone and dial HoroHoro's number.

HoroHoro was now laying on top of his bed staring at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

Pirika glanced over to her brother as he started snoring and shook her head. His phone then went off and Pirika went to grab it off his desk. _Maybe it's Hao._ But she saw that it was only Lyserg. "Onii-chan! Your phone is ringing."

HoroHoro grumbled and turned over as he still stayed asleep. Ren just shook his head at him and went back to reading his book as Yoh was eating his 43rd orange happily. Tamao was watching Yoh with large eyes, scared that he might puke after so many oranges, so she had a bag ready.

Pirika shrugged and picked it up. "Hi Lyserg!"

Lyserg was surprised that Pirika had picked up HoroHoro's cellphone. "Hi Pirika. Where's your brother?"

"Well, he's sleeping right now, so do you want to tell him anything? I'll pass the word for you." She offered. "When are you coming?"

"Uh, soon. Can you wake him up please?" Lyserg asked as he held the cellphone in one hand and drove with the other.

Pirika answered. "Okay." She went over to his bed and jumped on it. "HoroHoro! Wake up! Lyserg wants to talk to you."

He totally ignored her and still continued sleeping causing Pirika to flare up in anger and kick him, which sent him smacked against the wall. "Okay, okay. Give me the phone."

"Yeah, what's up Lyserg?" HoroHoro asked sleepily as he held the phone to his ear.

"HoroHoro, why is Pirika there?" Lyserg asked. "Nevermind. Listen, don't react to this since Pirika and Tamao are there, I'm bringing Sumi over right now."

"What?" HoroHoro asked. "Why?"

Lyserg sweatdropped. "Didn't I say don't react to that?"

Pirika was now leaning in close to hear what her brother and his friend are talking about. HoroHoro gave an embarrassed look and stood up, walking outside to his patio. "Sorry about that."

"Anyways, tell Ren, so he won't jump up and say 'What are you doing here?' We'll be there in a second. Alright?" Lyserg informed.

"Sure, sure. But why are you bringing Sumi? I don't think that's a good idea." HoroHoro whispered. "My sister might pounce on her for information."

"Originally, I thought that this was only going to be us guys, so I was going to bring Sumi to discuss her situation because she is going to get nagged for information and she has no clue what is going on." Lyserg sighed. "I don't think that is going to happen though."

"Well, I do live with her. There isn't much I can do without being a mean selfish brother." HoroHoro looked back and glad to see that everyone was still in the room and not spying on him.

"It's alright. I'll be there in a second. See you soon." Lyserg said.

"Alright. Later." HoroHoro hung up and went back into his room. He flopped down onto his bed and whispered in Ren's ear. "Don't jump up and ask why right now, but your girlfriend is coming."

Ren just continued reading his book and after a few seconds Ren looked at him with a raised eyebrow. HoroHoro shrugged and glanced at Yoh, who smiled at him with oranges in his mouth and gave him a nod.

Ren smirked at Yoh's silliness, but he knew Yoh was pretty observant, so he probably got what HoroHoro had just whispered to him. Somehow, he knew that he was going to end up seeing Sumi again today anyways, so it was no surprise that HoroHoro was telling him.

Lyserg stopped the car and got out along with Sumi, who was in awe at HoroHoro's house. It was three times bigger than Jeanne's.

"Um, maybe I shouldn't have came. They don't want me here right?" Sumi hestitated and still stood beside the car.

"No, it's not that. I invited you to come along, so don't worry about it. It's just we can't discuss what we originally wanted to discuss." Lyserg stated and walked back over to her. "Come on. It's alright." He grabbed her arm and gave her a small tug to follow.

"Lyserg." Hao got out of his car and walk towards them. He smirked as he glanced at Sumi and him. "Sumi."

"What's up Hao." Lyserg shared a handslap and the half-hug, pat to the back.

Sumi gave him a small smile. "Oh hi."

Liz finally got tired of waiting for Hao to open her door and got out herself. She went up and stood beside him, hugging him. "What are you guys doing together? I thought Sumi was with Ren."

Hao put an arm around her. "Don't worry. I don't think Lyserg would try to steal Ren's girl away from him. I know him better than that. He's an awesome guy. And I don't want you falsely accusing my friends."

Liz pouted and whispered. "I meant Sumi..."

Sumi pursed her lips together and brushed it off. She didn't know who knew and who didn't know about Ren's fake relationship with her. It's rather scary to not know who knows. Hao just watched her expressions, trying to see if she was going to give anything away.

Lyserg saw Hao just stare at Sumi. It was rather intimidating. Sumi was staring at the floor as if she was thinking, then she looked up to see Hao, and looked over to Lyserg. "We should go in." Lyserg said and rung the doorbell.

The butler opened the door. "Welcome. Come in Mr. Diethel, Mr. Asakura. Oh, may I ask who these young lovely ladies are?" He asked as they walked through the door.

Liz grinned and said, "Elizabeth Mitsuki."

The butler bowed. "Welcome to Usui household Ms. Mitsuki." He turned to Sumi, who was in awe at the large mansion.

Sumi smiled at him and stuck out her hand. "My name is Sumi. Pleasure to meet you."

The butler didn't take her hand nor smile. "Do you have a last name?"

"Yes. Sumi Mitsuki, but just call me Sumi. What's your name?" Sumi asked.

The butler ignored her question and just bowed with both hands behind his back, also ignoring her handshake. "Welcome Sumi."

She look confused and sad that he didn't take her hand for a second, but she quickly smiled. "What is your name?"

"Let's go. Don't spend so much time talking." Liz stated because Hao was watching her so amusingly.

"Oh, could you bring some snacks up to HoroHoro's room? Thank you." Lyserg told the butler and turned to Sumi. "Let's go."

Sumi nodded."Okay." She looked towards the butler, but he had already walked away with a small amused smile that no one saw.

"Lyserg. This house is so huge... It's so nice..." Sumi grabbed Lyserg's arm and shook it as they walked up the stairs. "It echoes though... I feel like I have to be quiet..."

He smiled at her. "Don't worry. That's how big houses are. It's cause everyone is taught not to make so much noise."

Suddenly HoroHoro's cheer echoed to them. "Except for HoroHoro." Lyserg chuckled.

Hao was watching them as they walked behind them. _Sumi, you made a slip._ He glanced at Liz, who gave him a questioning look an indicated towards Sumi and Lyserg. Hao shook his head and indicated for her to ignore it. Liz shrugged and leaned her head against Hao's shoulder as she held his hand.

As Lyserg opened the door, he saw HoroHoro jumping up and down, holding the remote control to his game console. "I won! I won!" He cheered.

Lyserg smirked. "Sorry that we're late guys." He walked through the door with Sumi following behind him.

HoroHoro turned around to face them. "About time guys."

Hao walked in and Pirika jumped up, ready to welcome him, but Liz walked in right after. "Hao! Liz!" Pirika scratched her head. _Aw man... Liz is here..._ _Everything I do might affect what's going to happen._ Liz was now the one of the presidents of Hao's fanclub. Pirika had no idea how she did it, but somehow Liz managed to partner up with the president, so now they run a lot of things. _In one day... a lot of things changed..._

Yoh stood up. "Hi guys!" He greeted happily with his oranges.

Ren put down his book and stood up. Everyone was watching him for some apparent reason and he felt tense, so he also greet them. "Hey guys." They were still watching him, so he reached over Lyserg and grabbed Sumi's hand and pulled her over to his side. They sat on the bed and Ren whispered in her ear. "Play along for now."

Sumi smiled and looked at him. Ren just shifted his eyes to Lyserg, Hao, and Liz as he put his arm around Sumi's shoulder. _Man... they're so annoying..._

She sighed inwardly and wondered how long they had to keep this up. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She liked Ren, but then she liked everyone else too. She didn't have any feelings for him though. Maybe she should just tell everyone that she isn't with him, after all it could be dragging him down too._ He was trying to help me... and it turned to this..._

Liz and Hao sat on the couch, and Liz decided to speak up. "Just wondering Ren, what would happen if I say... not that this is true, but I'm just wondering... if Sumi was cheating on you with one of your friends in the future?"

Sumi looked at Liz with the most unbelievable expression. _Why is she bringing me up?_

Lyserg raised his eyebrows at both Hao and Liz. Hao glanced at Liz and gave her a small squeeze on her shoulder. He leaned in and whispered. "What are you saying? Don't say stuff like this right now."

Sumi looked at Ren. "Ren..." _I wouldn't know what to say if I was you..._

He just smirked at her and shrugged. Then whispered in her ear. "Don't worry. Remember, we're playing this out. So even though this is fake, if I pretend this is real, then it'll be easier to deal with." _I would be angry if this was real though..._

Liz whispered to Hao. "I want to see what he says..."

Ren stared at Liz with a threatening look and she smiled. "Well?"

HoroHoro looked at them confused at what was happening and had stopped jumping. Yoh was still eating his oranges happily and Tamao had on a very worried expression. Pirika was shifting her eyes back and forth, not wanting to miss anything. Lyserg just sat on the floor calmly, knowing this isn't going to affect anything.

"I trust Sumi. I don't need to say any more then this. If I was you, I would stay out of other people's businesses." Ren said simply. He nudged Sumi a little, so both of them moved to sit down on the floor. Ren reached for an orange and began peeling one.

Hao looked at Liz. "Don't bother them yeah?"

She made a face then nodded as she rested her head against him.

Lyserg rested his chin on his hand with his elbow on his leg as he watched Ren peeled an orange slice off and handed it to Sumi. _Pretty good Ren. Nice job. Your acting skills are better then I expected._ Ren saw Lyserg watching him and smirked. "Want an orange slice?"

Lyserg waved his hand to indicate no. "It's alright." Lyserg then remembered something. "Oh, which one of you guys know Jeanne?"

Both Ren and Yoh shook their heads. Lyserg looked to Hao and HoroHoro. "Is it a girl with grey hair?" Hao asked.

"Yeah."

"I talked her once, but I never really saw her again afterwards." Hao stated.

"I see her everyday. She's in one of my classes. Why?" HoroHoro looked at Lyserg.

_I don't know if this is the right time to bring this up, but..._ "Do you know you give her trouble?"

"Huh?" HoroHoro looked confused once again.

"You talk to her right? She gets bullied because she talks to you and isn't in the ridiculus fan club. Sumi had just saved Jeanne today by a mob of crazy fangirls picking on her. Pirika, is it true that it happens?" Lyserg turned to her and asked.

"Um..." Pirika hesitated. They weren't allowed to say that they bully people, plus Liz was there and she had to abide by the rules otherwise she'll be punished. "No..."

Lyserg didn't say anything. _Damn, I just put Pirika on the spot. I shouldn't have said anything... Now that I think about it... I probably just caused problems for Pirika, Sumi, and especially Jeanne... Oh crap... Pirika probably hesitated due to either Tamao or Liz. Sumi denied to join for sure and Tamao is her best friend... so... the most likely one to spill on her is... Liz..._

"What? Are you serious that happened? Because of me?" HoroHoro looked worried. "Oh man. Oh man. I didn't know. I'm sorry. What should I do?"

_Oh crap... Me and my big mouth... Now I made HoroHoro worry... Something bad might happen now... _Lyserg sighed. "Don't worry about it. Everything is fine. HoroHoro don't do anything." _We're being watched even more now..._

A lightbulb went off in HoroHoro's head. "I know!" He hopped over the plate of oranges and placed both of his hands against his bed trapping Sumi between his arms. "Sumi! Tell me who were the girls that bullied Jeanne. I will show them not to mess with her again."

Sumi was still munching on orange slices, but stopped to look at HoroHoro, who looked like he was going to take some rash action to those girls.

Lyserg looked at Ren and gave him a look that he still had to play the boyfriend position, especially if it's in front of others. Ren swallowed an orange slice and grabbed HoroHoro's shirt, pulling him back. "Don't lean so close to Sumi."

"Oh. Sorry." HoroHoro scratched his head and sat down beside her. Yoh refrained himself from laughing at his look.

Sumi smiled. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell you who they are. Don't worry about it. We'll solve her problem."

"That's right. HoroHoro would probably go and beat up the wrong girls and get himself in trouble." Ren stated as he ate another orange slice.

"What?!? No! I won't!" HoroHoro cried out.

Yoh was chuckling now. "I also think it's best that HoroHoro doesn't do anything rashly."

The door knocked and the butler came in with more cookies, milk, and oranges.

"I don't always take rash action." HoroHoro took a bite of a cookie. "That's more like Ren."

Ren's cellphone suddenly went off and he picked it up. "Hello."

"REN!!! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU HAVE GIRLFRIEND NOW!" The voice on the other end shouted excitedly.

"Eh... Jun..." Ren started.

"Ren! Where are you now? Are you with her? Are you at HoroHoro's?" His sister asked quickly.

"Yes, but-" Ren got cut off again.

"ALRIGHT! I'M COMING!" She shouted and hung up.

"WHAT?" Ren jumped up and shouted into the phone, but she already hung up.

HoroHoro, Lyserg, Yoh, Hao, and everyone else stared at Ren. "What's wrong Ren?" Yoh asked as he munched some more.

Sumi glanced up at him as she now chewed on a cookie. "Jun is coming." Ren said wearily.

Once he said that, a girl's voice called out his name. "REEEENNNNN! Ohhhh RENNNNN!!!!" An older girl came flying over the balcony and sprung into the room. She picked up Ren and hugged him. "Awwww, you're growing up!"

"Uh, Jun-" Ren attempted, before she dropped him on the bed when she spotted Sumi.

"AW! You're so cute!" She picked up Sumi, who was still munching on a cookie and hugged her as she swung her around. Then she nuzzled her as if she was a puppy which made everyone sweatdropped.

Sumi was too surprised to catch anything that was happening. The only thing that occured in her mind was... _Wow... She's strong..._

"What's your name?" The girl held her up like a baby.

Still holding the cookie to her mouth, Sumi answered. "Hi, my name is Sumi. What's yours?" She smiled.

The girl blushed and squealed with sparkles shimmering around her. "You're so cute!" She hugged her tightly.

Ren tapped her shoulder with a worried look. "Uh... Jun... Put her down please... I think you'll suffocate her."

"Oh... sorry!" She chuckled and placed Sumi on the floor, who was smiling at her.

"Oh no, it's okay. That was the most affection I had in awhile." Sumi said with a grin.

Ren stood nervously. "Uh, this is Jun, my older sister and this is Sumi, my girlfriend..."

"Wow Ren, I say she's a lot cuter than the other girlfriend you had before." Jun stated with her arms crossed.

Ren looked pained for a second, but he quickly covered it up. Sumi and all the guys caught his spilt second of weakness and looked concerned.

Hao, Yoh, HoroHoro, and Lyserg shared a look then watched Ren and Jun. Liz, Pirika, and Tamao's expressions showed confusion.

"How did this happened?" Jun asked with a wide smile. "I want to know how you guys met."

"Jun, how do you know about this?" Ren asked.

Jun gave him a look. "Cousins told me. They do go to the same school as you."

_Darn it..._ "Well, I need to talk to you later then Jun. So I think you should go back first." Ren said firmly.

"I just want to know more about your little girlfriend Ren. I'll stay for a little bit, then I'll leave. Okay?" Jun gave him a pitiful look.

Ren sighed. "Fine." He went back to the plate of cookies and gulped down a cup of milk.

Jun grinned happily and led Sumi to the bed and sat down. "So, how did Ren ask you out?"

Lyserg looked at Ren. _This is what Sumi needs help on... She can't answer these questions..._

Sumi munched on her cookie and scratched her head nervously. "Um, I think you should ask Ren on the details. I'm a really bad storyteller."

Ren stood up and sat beside Sumi. "Jun, I'll tell you everything at home okay? How it happened, where, when, everything. Just don't talk about it now." Ren gave her a look.

Jun caught it and nodded. "Alright then. That's fine with me." She looked around and spotted Hao. "Hao, you have a new girlfriend? Come on, introduce her."

Hao smirked at Jun and stood up, pulling Liz along with him over to her. He placed an arm around her. "This is Liz and this is Jun, Ren's older sister."

"Nice to meet you." Liz said and smiled as she hugged Hao.

"Nice to meet you too." Jun grinned. "I heard you and Sumi are step-sisters. How is it? Are you guys alike?"

Liz shrugged. "I would say we are really different. Different personalities. Different styles."

"Me and Ren are pretty different too. He's more serious and determined while I'm just the opposite. I bet Hao and Yoh and HoroHoro and Pirika are the same. We are all different from each other, but there might be one or two traits that are the same." Jun nodded.

Sumi rested her head on Ren's shoulder as his arm was around her. She closed her eyes as she felt her food coma settling in, causing her drowsiness. Especially since Jun and Liz were now conversating about fashion and stars.

Ren watched Liz got really into the conversation and left Hao's side to go sit on the bed and talk to Jun. He closed his eyes and relaxed. It would be nice to stay in this position forever with the person he liked. It was pretty nice to have Sumi by his side even though she wasn't really his girlfriend. Ren opened his eyes to match his with Hao's.

Hao knelt down. "Are you tired?"

"Not at all. I think Sumi fell asleep though." Ren stated and looked down at her. He then realized that he was too wrapped up with what was happening to even really notice her. With his other hand, he touched her cheek. Her skin was really smooth and soft. Then he realized how pretty she was. _They're right... She's probably having a difficult time without knowing anything... I guess... I need time to think... About everything... I'm sort of pulling her into my feelings... I wish it wasn't her that this is happening to though... I wish I don't act as rashly... I wish that it didn't happened back then..._

Sumi stirred and opened her eyes sleepily. "I'm sorry. Am I numbing your shoulder?"

"No, it's okay." Ren said quietly.

Sumi sat up and saw Hao kneeling in front of Ren. She looked at him. "Are you okay Ren?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Ren said blankly and looked at Sumi with a faint smile. He whispered. "More like I should be saying sorry to you."

Sumi looked confused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." He stood up. "I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back." He said and walked out the door.

Sumi looked at Hao, who looked equally as worried as her. She glanced at the others and they were watching Ren leave, so concern showed on their faces. Hao stood up and sat next to her. "Hao... Just wondering... but is Ren... Ren looked hurt when Jun said something about his last girlfriend." She whispered.

Hao stared at her. _She senses feelings pretty well. Ren didn't even let anything show. It was like a quarter of a second. His defenses go up pretty fast._ "We'll talk about it later." He whispered back.

"Okay. I'm worried about him though..." Sumi looked down at her hands as she rubbed them.

Hao placed one of his hands over hers, giving her a comforting smile. "We all are, but don't worry too much because you are taking our share of worrying away."

A small smile appeared on Sumi's face as she looked at him. "Thanks."

Liz suddenly appeared and without warning, slapped her. Lyserg, Yoh, HoroHoro, and everyone else stopped their conversations and looked over to see what happened.

Sumi stood up and placed a hand on her cheek, giving Liz the most confused look.

"Don't play innocent. Stop flirting with my boyfriend." Liz crossed her arms and glared.

Hao stood up beside Sumi. "What are you talking about Liz? I was only comforting her." Hao was about to reach over and touch her cheek, but Liz spoke up.

"Don't touch her. I can't believe this. She's already Ren's girlfriend. Let Ren comfort her. She doesn't need you to do it. Who do I have? I have you. You're suppose to be my comfort." Liz stated and turned to Sumi. "I want you to leave."

Hao looked at Liz. "You have no place to tell her to leave. This is HoroHoro's house."

"Why do you have to be on her side? Fine then, I'll leave." Liz said angrily.

"No, that's not what I meant." Hao said. "Liz..." _What's up with girls and choosing sides? I don't like it when they force me to do this..._

Sumi let her hand fall back down to her side. "It's okay. I don't want to cause any misunderstandings between you guys, so I'll just go. Don't worry. I'll see you guys tomorrow at school." Sumi turned without waiting for a reply and walked out the door.

"Sumi!" Lyserg, HoroHoro, and Yoh got up and ran after her. Pirika, Tamao, and Jun saw that Hao and Liz were just staring at each other, decided that it was better to follow so they sprinted outside.

"Why do you make things so complicated?" Hao asked. "Is this going to be about choosing sides between my friends and you?"

Liz looked to the ground. "I'm sorry. Sometimes, when I get caught up in my feelings. I let it overtake me and I would do and say things without thinking." She looked up at Hao. "I know that Sumi is a good person, but I just can't help it... I don't want you to choose sides. I want to be on the same side as everyone."

Hao hugged her as she hugged him back. It touched him that he didn't have to choose sides. If she said that he had to, like all his previous girlfriends, then he would have chose his friends. He kissed her forehead. _I'm glad..._

Ren was standing out in the hallway by the stairs. He leaned on the rail. _I can't let the past affect me now... It's all the past... Things are different now... Life is better... The past shouldn't drag me down... but having a girlfriend... even if it's a fake girlfriend... reminds me of her... _

_That's why even I'm scared to take action for the person I like now... _

_Arg... I hate this... _

_What should I do?... _

_What's worse is... _

_...Yoh likes the same person..._

_I don't know..._

_Sumi guessed it right from the beginning... whether or not she was just guessing..._

_Why did it have to happen back then?  
_

_It hurts..._

_To be used..._

_It's horrible..._

Suddenly, Sumi dashed past him and down the stairs. He didn't catch what was happening before everyone ran out of the room. "Ren!" Everyone stopped and stood next to him.

"Ren, are you okay?" Lyserg asked.

Yoh had turned to HoroHoro. "Go get Sumi." He nodded and ran down the stairs.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry. What's happening?" Ren asked.

Jun looked at him. "Liz slapped her, so she's leaving because she doesn't want to cause misunderstandings." Ren ran after HoroHoro without waiting for anything else.

Sumi rushed past the butler. "Bye Walter."

There was a surprised look on his face as he barely heard HoroHoro's command. "Stop her!" He went after her, but she was already out the door.

Sumi nearly bumped into two older people, who she figured were HoroHoro's parents, so she bowed quickly to them and ran off, throwing them off guard.

The butler ran out and spotted the parents and quickly bowed. "Welcome home Mr. Usui, Mrs. Usui."

"What is going on?" Mr. Usui asked as HoroHoro sprinted past his parents.

"HoroHoro!" His mother called out to him, but he kept running.

"I'm not sure. Let's go inside and find out shall we?" The butler and HoroHoro's parents walked through the door only to have Ren crash into the butler, knocking both of them backwards.

"Oof." Ren cried out as he fell onto the ground. "Sorry."

"What are you kids doing? It's rather dangerous to run around the house." Mr. Usui stated as he helped the butler up.

Ren stood up and bowed. "I'm sorry Mr. Usui, Mrs. Usui."

Everyone that were at the top of the stairs came downstairs and greeted them. "Pirika, could you tell me what is your brother doing?" Her mother asked.

Pirika laughed nervously and went over to her mother. "Oh Mom, you know, it's just some drama rama happening. So you don't need to worry about it."

Her parents looked at each other and decided not to ask. "Alright then, you guys solve your drama and we'll have dinner." Her parents looked at Pirika nodding at them and headed upstairs to their room.

Outside, HoroHoro caught up to Sumi and grabbed her arm, but they were already down the street. "Sumi, wait." HoroHoro leaned over and took in heavy breaths.

Sumi crouched down. "Are you okay HoroHoro?"

"Yeah, just give me a second." HoroHoro took a few more breaths to slow his heartbeat and turned to her. "Come back. Where are you going anyways?"

"Well, I shouldn't be there causing misunderstandings. So it was best for me to leave. It's okay. I'll be alright. You should go back." Sumi said and somehow still smiled at him.

"Do you really not want to go back?" HoroHoro asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you going home? I'll drive you back home." HoroHoro offered. "It's cold out here and you're wearing nothing, but a t-shirt and jeans."

"I'm alright. I'm not going home yet. Just go back." Sumi said. "I think I just need time to be alone."

"I'll drive you to where you're going then. It's already dark and plus it's dangerous for you to be by yourself."

_He's not going to let me go until I agree with him on something..._ "Fine, but I'm staying here though."

HoroHoro sighed. _Girls like her are stubborn..._ "Fine, I'll be back with the car." HoroHoro ran back and through the door. "Get my keys Walter."

The butler nodded and went upstairs.

"HoroHoro, where's Sumi?" Yoh asked.

"She doesn't want to come back, so I'm going to drive her somewhere. Ren, come with me." HoroHoro said and grabbed his keys when his butler came down with it. "Thanks."

Ren nodded and they quickly got into the car and drove back to where HoroHoro left Sumi.

_Dammit, she's gone... Somehow... I knew that was going to happen... _HoroHoro sighed and looked at Ren.

Ren glanced over to the sidewalk and read what was written with a rock on the cement. "I really appreciate this, but I'm going for a walk to help myself relax. Don't worry. Thanks.P" Ren smirked. "Figures..."

"She's going to catch a cold and it's dangerous out here. Kidnappers, Thieves, Rapists, who knows what could happen. We should look for her. I don't think she knows this area either." HoroHoro asked. "What should we do?"

"Let's go back first. Hopefully someone has her number so we can call her. We don't know where she is. Though she might have not gone very far... See if you can spot her first, then we'll head back." Ren suggested.

So they droved around and with no luck of spotting her, they returned to HoroHoro's house. Ren and HoroHoro ran back up into his room. "You guys, do any of you have Sumi's number? We need to find her."

All of them shook their heads, but Liz spoke up from Hao's arms. "I do. I am after all her step-sister." She pulled out her cellphone and called Sumi's number.

A ringtone went off somewhere in the room. Everyone sweatdropped. HoroHoro looked under his bed and grabbed the ringing phone. "Looks like she dropped it... What do we do now?"

Hao stood up. "I'll take Liz and Yoh and we'll go to her house and wait for her. You guys split up and see if you can find her. If one of us finds her first, we'll call each other alright?"

"Sounds good." HoroHoro nodded along with the others.

Meanwhile, Sumi was walking down a street, wandering aimlessly. She spotted a path that led to an open area and went to it. It was like a secret spot to get away and it had a gorgeous view of the city below. _Wow..._ Sitting close to the ledge, but not so close that she would off, she hugged her knees and watched the lights. _I wonder..._


	7. Chapter 7

.: So This is How it is:.

Anna sat at the table eating by herself. It was rather lonely, but she should be use to it by now. Her father and mother hardly came home from work anyways, but sometimes they're there when she least expects it.

She looked at the butler and he just stood there with his eyes closed, hands behind his back in silence. This somehow irritated her so she ate quickly before she decided to snap at him angrily. Putting her bowl on the table, she stood up and quickly rushed upstairs to her room without waiting for the butler to ask if she wanted anything else to eat.

Once she closed the door behind her, her cellphone rang. Anna reached over to her dresser and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Anna, it's me. I'm right outside your house. Can I come in?" Jeanne's voice came through the phone.

"Yeah. Just ring the doorbell. The butler will let you in. Come up to my room." Anna said and sat at her desk as she hung up her phone.

Jeanne opened her door and just slumped herself onto her bed. "Anna! I just had to get away from my house. My parents are driving me insane."

Anna responded by asking. "What happened?"

"My parents met Lyserg today and they're totally crazy about him. Way more crazy then me! What they said though made me think and I think that it's best for me to watch him from afar... If I do get to know him, there would be so much trouble... But... I think I like him though..." Jeanne sighed. "I wish my parents aren't like this. At this rate, my prince charming will never come."

Anna smiled. "It's alright. Don't worry. Someday your prince charming will come. Don't ever give up on something you can't stop thinking about."

Jeanne was touched by what she said. "Aw... Anna... What about your prince charming?"

"My prince charming?" Anna laughed. "Well, he got lost and doesn't want to ask for help, so I can't help him there."

Jeanne laughed. "You're so funny Anna." Jeanne closed her eyes. "It's rather intimidating though. I think that group of friends is a bit too close to perfect as anyone could get. They are almost like walking dolls. Not even real... However I noticed each of them have their own different personalities and yet they get along so well. Hao's the flirt, Yoh is the nice one, Lyserg is the calm one, HoroHoro is the funny one, and Ren is the agressive one, but... do you know they stand out because there's so many of them that no one else can compare?"

Anna mentally agreed. There are a lot of other people who are just as handsome as them, but they're group just sticks out and it just draws everyone's attention. Perhaps another thing about them was that every one of them were financially higher than everyone else in the school.

"Do you know who else could probably compete against them?" Jeanne had a twinkle in her eye. "Keigo and the twins."

Anna flared up. Just hearing his name made her angry, but she controlled herself so she could hear what Jeanne was going to say.

"However, because his personality is bad, it scares a lot of people. I bet that if he was different, he could get a lot of girls and that would threaten Hao's position." Jeanne announced. "I heard that they were going to go at it at school. I wonder what they are going to do."

Anna scoffed. "Keigo. Hearing that name disgusts me. He makes me so angry. Do you know the way he treats people is really disrespectful? I doubt he can even change to Hao's level and Hao is already pretty hopeless."

"Hao isn't that bad. I know sometimes he's a bit cocky and inconsiderate, but he's a pretty nice person sometimes." Jeanne defended.

_Sometimes... but still pretty rude and demanding..._ Anna shook her head. "People are so cocky these days. I think it's going to get to me one day and I'll blow up."

Jeanne shrugged. "I guess they are just confident with what they have."

"Confident with what? That they are pretty?" Anna pointed out. "Personality is what keeps others, beauty just attracts them."

Jeanne's eyes glittered. "Anna, everything you say about love is so poetic. Don't tell me that you are falling for someone. Someone told me that with love, everyone can become a poet." Jeanne teased.

"No. Don't listen to what other people say too much Jeanne." Anna denied. _I'm not falling for anyone..._

"Sure. Sure." Jeanne smirked. "Whatever you say..."

Sumi stared at the city lights below as voices echoed in her head.

_"Mommy! Please get better soon!"_

_"Sumi... Promise me whatever happens don't cry... Be brave... Life your life with happiness..."_

_"What are you saying? Mommy!... Mommy?... Mommy!"_

Sumi sighed as she hugged her knees to her body. "I still haven't cried yet ever since you told me... even though I want to so badly sometimes..."

She stared at the stars above. "We moved into a new house now... Do you remember that I told you about Mary and Liz?" She gave a small laugh. "They still give me trouble sometimes, though Liz is a bit nicer now. Our maid is Hitomi, our butler is Hiro, and our cook is Yuki. All of them are young and pretty. Liz wanted them that way so Dad hired them."

"I had a pretty bad day today..." She rested her chin on her knees and said quietly. "I got hit three times in one day... I feel like a punching bag... Girls are pretty vicious..." She looked up with a smile. "But don't worry, I'm still fine."

Sumi then reached one hand towards the sky. "Do you know how I hate reaching towards the sky and trying to grasp a presence of you even though I know it won't happen?" She whispered sadly. "I hate wanting things that I know I can never get. I hate being one of those girls reaches and dreams... waiting..." She closed her hand and brought it back down.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on her arms. _Even though I remember that conversation before she left me... I can't remember what happened before... Everything before then seems like a blob... I remember Daddy saying something about it being from shock of fear or something... I have random recollections of my memories sometimes...You said once... Sometimes your memories are forgotten, but your body would remember... Well... my memories are gone, but my body doesn't remember either... What do I do then?_

"Do you normally talk to yourself?" A voice asked from behind her.

Sumi spun around to see Keigo. _He appears at the weirdest times... What is he doing here?_ She gave him a look. "What did you hear?"

"Everything." Keigo went and sat by her.

Sumi was silent for a little bit. "I think that when people die, they become stars. Do you think so?"

Keigo gave her a concerned look. "Yeah, I remember this lady telling me that once."

_I don't want to dwell on the past and be swallowed by sadness... _Sumi smiled at Keigo. "What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

"I always come here to get away and be by myself for a little bit." Keigo raised his one of his eyebrows questioningly. "What brings you here? I don't see your car. Do you live close by here?"

Sumi shrugged. "I was taking a walk... so actually, I don't know where I am right now."

_So she's lost..._ "Do you need a ride?"

She smiled. _He's actually pretty nice... _"No, it' okay. I'll just call-" She reached in her pocket for her cellphone, but it wasn't there. "Missing..." She hung her head. _Could this day get any worse?_

"It could be worse." He answered her thoughts and grinned. "You could have been stuck here all night. I'll take you home."

"If you don't mind, can I not go home yet? I don't want to go back quite yet." Sumi said quietly.

Keigo stood up and reached down to Sumi. "Let's go eat then. I'm hungry and I think you'll be too if you watch me eat."

Sumi smiled and took his hand. "Thanks..."

_At least you agreed... You would've caught a cold out here... or worse..._ He pulled her up. "Let's go eat **pho**!"

"Pho?"

"Yeah. It's delicious. It's vietnamese noodles. You should try it." Keigo said and led them towards the street. He stopped in front of his motorbike and handed her a helmet.

"You ride a motorcycle?" Sumi asked holding the helmet.

Keigo looked at her. "Yeah. Don't be scared. It's alright. Do you trust me?"

Sumi pursed her lips and nodded, getting on behind him.

Keigo couldn't help but feel warm inside. "Hold on tight." He said and started the bike, riding off towards town.

Sumi opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at the clock. _I woke up pretty early today..._ She rolled off her bed and went to the picture of her mother. _Good morning Mom!_ She smiled and put it back down.

Last night, she bonded with Keigo quite rather well. It was her first time eating pho and she was so amazed how good it tasted especially since she was cold. She had a fun talking to him and he was really an enjoyable person to be around. When he dropped her off, she walked into her house with Yoh, Hao, Liz, Hitomi, Yuki, and Hiro waiting anxiously.

"Hi guys!" Sumi greeted.

Yoh rushed up to her while Hao picked up his cellphone and started calling people. "Sumi! Are you alright? Where did you go?"

"Yeah, of course I'm fine. I went to go eat!" Sumi said cheerfully. Eating with Keigo really cheered her up and got her mind off things.

Yoh let out a relieved breath. "Hao's telling the others that you're here and safe. Did you know everyone was looking for you? You had us so worried, but we're glad you're alright." _She's looking cheerful again too... That's good..._

"I'm sorry." Sumi apologized. "You guys didn't have to look for me. I was going for a walk."

"Don't worry about it now. At least you're back." Yoh put his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her.

Hao walked up to her and Yoh. "What took you so long anyways? You sure cause so much trouble in just a day."

"It's not like I want it to happen. I'm sorry though for giving you so much trouble." Sumi looked at the floor.

Hao leaned to the side of her face. "Don't worry about it, just don't do it again." He swooped back and headed towards the door.

_That's rather intimidating..._ Yoh thought to himself as he watched Hao.

Liz stopped Hao before he walked out the door. "Hao, let's go eat."

He stared at her. "Sure, if you want." Hao looked back at Yoh. "Do you want to come too Yoh?"

Yoh waved his hands. "No thanks. You guys have fun. I'm going back home to eat."

Hao shrugged. "Alright. Suit yourself." He swung an arm around Liz and both of them walked out the door.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Sumi. Take care and sleep early." Yoh said and headed towards the door. "Bye."

She waved to him as he walked out and smiled at Yuki, Hiro, and Hitomi before heading back up to her room.

_I'm touched that they were worried about me though..._ Sumi grabbed her uniform and changed, getting ready for school. _Hopefully today won't be that bad..._

"Today, I am assigning you guys partners to perform at the talent show." The teacher announced. "The talent show is a week from today and you and your partners will have to perform whatever you guys decide to do. It's all up to you."

Anna rested her head on the palm of her hand and groaned. _Great... Another talent show..._ She probably should have expected it coming though. They usually have a talent show during first semester and a play during the second semester. It's been like that for the past couple years and everyone had always had to perform in them. Even so, she couldn't help but groan at this event. It was never something she looked forward to.

"I'm bringing in the other classes and everyone is going to be randomly assigned to a group of four. From there, you have to discuss what you are going to do and decide when to practice. They are the people you are going to be working with everytime you come to this class, so **cooperate with each other**." The teacher emphasized and opened the door to have the other classes pouring into their room.

With a bored expression, Anna watched everyone begin to chatter excitedly. _What is so great about this anyways?_

The ruler slapped against the teacher's desk to get everyone's attention. "Listen up! Everyone grab a number and get in these groups." The ruler went to the board, which pointed at random numbers of groups of four.

Anna was staring at her partners in hesitation._ What are the chances... that out of everyone else... I'm their partner..._

HoroHoro, Ren, and Yoh stood before her. _I rather face the fangirls..._

Yoh put his hands behind his head and chuckled happily. "Hey look guys, we get to be partners!"

Ren humphed with his arms crossed. "They probably think we cheated the system somehow."

"Let's do a magic act guys!" HoroHoro pumped his fist excitedly.

Anna rubbed her forehead with her hand. _This is going to be bad... I can feel it... Literally..._ The fangirls around them were giving Anna jealous death glares with fire burning in their eyes. She laid her head against the table and told herself to contain her annoyance.

"Are you alright Anna?" Yoh asked, looking down at her curiously.

HoroHoro jumped up and sat on the desk in front of her. He pat her head and chirped. "Come on Anna, it can't be that bad to be partners with us."

Anna lifted her head and glowered at him. "Don't touch me."

HoroHoro's hand shot back and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. "Sorry!"

The fangirls shot to each side of the desk. "What gives you the right to talk to him that way?"

HoroHoro's eyes were wide with surprise and fear. "Uh..."

"What gives you the right to be their partner?" They chorused and Anna looked at them annoyed.

"It was **random**..." Anna stressed and said slowly so they could understand. "It's not like I chose this."

"I demand that you switch with me!" One of the girls ordered.

Anna twitched. "Go ahead. Less trouble for me."

"No! I want to!" A different fangirl screamed out.

"Who said you can? I deserve it!"

"Give me a break! I get to!"

Thus an argument formed within the fangirls and their yelling began to get louder and angrier each passing moment. HoroHoro was watching them with fear, Ren was looking away with his arms still crossed, Yoh had his arms behind his head smiling nervously, and Anna was burying her head under a book so she could block out the noise.

"QUIEEEETTTT!!" The teacher screeched, destroying all sound in the classroom. "**No one!** And I say no one, is allowed to switch groups. So go back to your **own** group and discuss what you want to do."

With grumbles and groans, everyone headed their own direction reluctantly. Anna removed the book from her head and looked up. She spotted Sumi smiling nervously with Mika and two other fangirls, who she figured were Sumi's partners. _Good luck Sumi..._

"Man, now I'm glad that you aren't like them Anna." HoroHoro left out a relieved breath once they were gone. "They are frightening. Were they always like that?"

"From the start HoroHoro. Shows us that you don't miss a thing." Ren noted as he pulled a chair beside them and sat down.

Yoh pulled a table on the other side and jumped on in it. "So what should we do guys?"

"Let's do a magic act!" HoroHoro suggested enthusiatically and clapped his hands together. "I'll saw Anna in half, make Yoh disappear, and shoot arrows at Ren!"

Bonk! Ren knocked HoroHoro's head. "Why don't I turn you into a duck?"

He rubbed his head as he hung his head. "Aw... but I wanted to do a magic act..."

"Don't pity yourself. The one you should pity should be Lyserg." He indicated over his shoulder where Lyserg was standing. Three fangirls were squealing excitedly and hugging him with all their might.

Yoh scratched his head. "Poor Lyserg..." His eyes drifted and saw Keigo partnered up with Ryo and two more guys. Scanning the area, he spotted Hao with one of the twins and two girls who looked scared. The other twin was partnered up with Jeanne and two other girls.

"I know! Let's sing!" HoroHoro suggested.

"I bet everyone else will probably be doing that too." Said Anna.

Ren looked at her. "What else can we do?" There was silence. "If we can't think of anything else... we'll choose that then."

"Whatever..."Anna turned her head away. _I hate singing... No way am I singing... They better think of something else to do..._

When school ended, much to Anna's relief, she was walking with Jeanne heading towards the school entrance. "I'll come with you today to see your parents Anna."

Anna gave her a warm smile. "Thanks Jeanne."

"Yeah, so don't worry too much. Everything will work out." Jeanne comforted. "I'm glad that those fangirls didn't-" Jeanne stopped. "Spoke too soon..."

Anna's eyes shot up from the ground to see about six fangirls circling them. She stood protectively in front of Jeanne. "What do you want?"

"I wonder..." One fangirl said as she stepped forward. "What gives you guys the privilege to talk to them?"

_Damn it..._ Anna cursed inside her head. _They're cursed... _Behind her, Jeanne whimpered with fear.

"What makes you guys think that you can be their friend when we can't?" She shoved Anna and caused both of them to fall to the ground. "What makes you guys so special?"

Anna jumped up. "What do you think you're doing? Leave us alone!" She hissed angrily. _We're outnumbered..._

"What makes you think we are going to do that?" The fangirls moved in on them throwing water balloons filled with paint. Anna shielded her head as paint exploded around them. _Shit... What can I do?_

Sumi was walking by them, when she saw the large group of girls laughing. _I wonder what's going on?_ Curious, she walked towards them. "Hi! What are you guys doing?" She asked cheerfully, then she spotted Anna and Jeanne on the floor covered in paint. "Anna! Jeanne!" She cried out and pushed her way to them. Kneeling down, she asked worriedly. "Are you guys okay?"

Anna had a scowl on her face and looked away with a really pissed off look. Jeanne looked like she was crying and just nodded her head.

Sumi jumped up and turned around, pointing accusingly at the girls. "You can't just go around and do that! That's wrong!"

The girls were staring at her with shock and started laughing. "What's it to you? Just because you are Ren's girlfriend doesn't mean that you can go ordering us around! All we want is for them to not hang around those hot guys anymore! We also want a chance to be looked at!"

"Do you think that they will like you if you do this?" Sumi pursed her lips together. "They would probably get angry with you if you continue with this. Find a different way to approach them. BUT BULLYING OTHERS isn't the way!"

"Just because you're his girlfriend doesn't mean that it's going to stop us anymore! We don't care!" With that, they starting throwing paint water balloons again.

Sumi became covered with paint as they popped around her. _Not good..._

When they ran out of water balloons, they pointed at them threateningly. "We are going to make your lives a living hell, got it? Whether or not you are his girlfriend. It's unfair to us!" After a couple snotty looks, they stomped off leaving them in their horrible mess.

Sumi scratched her head and smiled. "That can't be good."

Anna stood up angrily. "Why the hell are you smiling?" She exclaimed as she helped Jeanne up.

"Oh!" Sumi put on a serious face. "Are you guys okay?'

Jeanne nodded. "I'm fine."

"Pathetic..." Anna shook her head, but the curves on the tips of her mouth went slightly up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah! Just fine." Sumi smiled. "As long as nobody is hurt."

Jeanne raised her eyebrow at Sumi. _She's weird... She just got bullied and she's smiling... But at least she calmed Anna's anger down a bit..._

"Yo... What happened to you guys?"

All three of them turned to see Ryo standing there looking at them with a confused expression.

"Hi Ryo!" Sumi greeted cheerfully. "Ahh... Um.. this.." She caught Anna's embarassed look as her eyes shot around to think of an explanation.

Jeanne gave a side glance at Anna. _She's embarassed that she got bullied... I'm sorry Anna..._ Her eyes went back to Sumi's back. _Please think of something to say..._

"Ah! We fell into a paint puddle!"

Ryo, Anna, and Jeanne stared at her with a large sweatdrop coming from their head as she was still grinning like no other. "Sumi! If you're going to lie, AT LEAST MAKE IT MORE BELIEVABLE!" Ryo cried out.

Anna slapped a hand to her head. "Seriously... what kind of lie is that?"

"I think you need to work on it Sumi." Jeanne gave a reassuring smile.

Sumi put her fist into the palm of her hand with a very determined expression. "I will work hard!"

Ryo bit his lip from laughing. "No need to look so serious."

"Okay..." She let her hands fall to her side before grabbing out her phone to look at the time. "Ah! I got to go! I still need to shower too! Bye guys!" She dashed off quickly, leaving everyone else staring after her in bewilderment.

"She's kind of weird sometimes..." Ryo stated.

Anna and Jeanne nodded with dots as their eyes, watching the direction that Sumi ran off to.

"But... it's rather adorable..." He whispered to himself with a smirk, before turning to Anna and introducing himself to Jeanne.

--P

"Um... Ms. Sumi... May I ask what happened?" Hiro asked as he drove her back home.

Sumi was sitting on towels to keep the car from getting dirty from all the paint that was on her uniform. "Sumi." She stated.

"Huh?" His eyes went to the rear mirror to see Sumi's face.

"Call me Sumi Hiro. Did you forget?" Sumi gave him a questioning look.

"Ah- um- um- no-" He stuttered and paused to regain composure. "Sorry... Sumi... But did something happened?"

_I know I'm not suppose to butt into personal affairs, but I worry..._ Hiro stopped the car and they got out, heading towards the house.

She turned and smiled at him. "Ah, um, no. I just... It was just raining paint!"

Hiro nearly fell over as he opened the door when he heard her response. "Ah... um Sumi? I don't think you should lie..." He chuckled nervously. "At all..."

"Oh... yeah... my friends told me to work on it..." She shrugged and scratched her cheek. "I'll think of a better one... but I have to go shower first! Thank you for driving me home!" Sumi quickly bowed to him and ran up the stairs to her room.

_You're not suppose to tell me that either... _Hiro sighed as he close the door. Sumi's smile was too carefree and too relaxed to seem like much, but there is always something more happening than what meets the eye. _What did I want her to say? That she is getting bullied? Then what can I do about it? Nothing... I can't do anything anyways..._

"Lyserg!"

The heir to Diethel Corp. turned around to see none other than HoroHoro jogging towards him with a silly grin on his face. "HoroHoro, What's up?"

"Not much... except that I had a pretty good day today." HoroHoro grinned happily.

Lyserg smiled at his blissful friend. "Oh? How so?"

His eyes shimmered and hearts floated around him. "I sat next to Jeanne and talked to her all through class. She's so cute!"

"Really? It's been a while since I've seen you like this. I'm glad that you're having a good day." Lyserg slid his hands into his pockets. "Man, I want something that makes me that happy too."

HoroHoro patted Lyserg on the back. "I'm sure that you'll find your happiness soon! Don't worry about it Lyserg!" He put his hands behind his head. "I don't know... When I first met her. I honestly thought nothing of her. I thought that she was one of those pretty fangirls, but then I found out that she wasn't. She's nice and sweet. Pretty sincere."

Lyserg felt happy that HoroHoro was happy, but he couldn't help but be afraid that she might be a golddigger. _I'll keep my suspicions to myself for now... Let HoroHoro be happy... _"That's great that you're talking to someone. I was afraid that you were going to be a old feeble man with no wife in the future." Lyserg joked.

"HAHA! Don't make me laugh! No one could resist this sexy beast standing before you. I got ladies drooling over me all the time." HoroHoro flexed his arms.

Lyserg swat his hand in the air with a small chuckle. "Sure. Sure. Whatever you think."

When he looked away from HoroHoro, he saw Sumi run out of the gates covered in paint and his smile faltered. _What happened to you Sumi? Did something happened again?_

HoroHoro stopped his chuckling for a second and looked at Lyserg's fading smile. "Are you alright Lyserg?"

He snapped back to smile at HoroHoro. "Nothing. Just some random thinking."

"About what? Care to share?" HoroHoro leaned close to Lyserg. "I just saw your expression covered in worry for a split second."

Lyserg made a face at HoroHoro. He was getting better at reading him and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad. "If you really must know... I just saw Sumi rush out of the gates covered in paint. Figured that she was bullied."

His eyes met Lyserg's. "Honestly, I don't think her status is helping her in any way. I didn't know that girls were that cruel."

"There are a lot of cruel people out there in this world and if you're in the way, you might get trampled on." Lyserg pushed the remote for his car and it beeped. "Ren... I don't know what he's doing, but right now he seems pretty confused himself."

HoroHoro opened the passenger door and got in, alongside with Lyserg. "Ren will tell us when it's time. But... when Jun reminded him of his ex-girlfriend... it brought back bad memories for him."

"That's why people out there are pretty cruel, so becareful. However, I think there is something else bugging him that he's not telling us. Probably something... that would affect us..." Lyserg stated and revved out of the parking lot. _I can try to guess what it is, but what then? It's too complicated to solve for him._

"Like what? Is he facing another problem like Yuna?" HoroHoro asked.

Lyserg shrugged. "I don't know, but I hope he sorts out things so he can worry less."

"I hope so too. It makes me anxious." HoroHoro rubbed his temple. "She totally messed up his life. He liked her so much..."

"I know..." Lyserg sighed. "There are people like her."

HoroHoro punched his hand into his fist. "If I ever see her again, I swear I'll make her pay for hurting Ren."

Lyserg raised one eyebrow and glanced at him with the corner of his eye. "Like how? Beating her up?"

"Yeah! I'm going to turn her face into a raisin, then no one would be fooled by her pretty face!" He scrunched his face up to look more threatening.

Lyserg smiled, amused at HoroHoro's personality. _Man, HoroHoro and his rash thinking... It's funny..._

"...And cover her with bird seeds so crows and pigeons can stalk her!" HoroHoro chortled to himself. "Hehehehe..."

A large sweatdrop hung on Lyserg's head. _And sometimes a bit weird..._

_Yuna..._

Ren rested his chin on his arms as he leaned against the railing of his balcony. A sad distant look shadowed his face as his eyes stared off into nothingness. _Why did Jun have to remind me of her? Why?_

_"Ren, I can't make it to your game tonight. I'm sorry. I have plans with my family." _

_His grin suddenly felt as if it was forced to stay in that position. "Oh... it's alright then. Go do your family thing. There's always a next game..."_

_"I'm sorry. I really am. Next time. Next time for sure." She grinned and tip-toed to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate you understanding. You're just awesome."_

_Ren smiled, but as he watched her retreating back, his smile disappeared altogether. It's always next time... Why is it that I feel that you're lying to me?_

_"Ren! What are you doing? You're missing passes and shots! What's wrong?" A thundering voice shook Ren back to his senses._

_He placed a hand on his sweaty head. "Sorry Coach, but I don't feel so well."_

_"Alright, go sit on the bench then." He threw a towel at him and Ren caught it._

_"Thanks." He dropped himself onto the bench and rubbed the towel against his head frustrated._

_Lyserg sat down beside him and handed him a cup of water. "What's bothering you?"_

_Ren shrugged. "Just this uncomfortable feeling. It's nothing."_

_"Well, you can't concentrate on basketball, so it must be something pretty important. Usually you can concentrate on anything especially during a game." Lyserg stated and whooped when HoroHoro made a shot. HoroHoro gave a quick wave and quickly turned back to face the other team._

_Ren looked at Lyserg, who nodded his head and shrugged. "... It's just that... I don't know... Lately Yuna seems like she's more busy..."_

_"Oh... Girl problems... But how so?"_

_"Remember how in the beginning she always came to my games? But this month, she always have something going on, whether it's her family, schoolwork, work, or whatever, but there's always excuses." Ren sighed. "Maybe I'm making it a big deal."_

_"That does not sound like her... Maybe there are stuff that really does comes up." Lyserg reassured._

_"Maybe..." Ren closed his eyes._

_Lyserg patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Let's go eat after our game alright? And we'll talk about this some more. But now, just think about the game. We need you." _

_"Alright. I'll get back in." Ren nodded and stood up, motioning to the coach to get him to switch in._

_"Good job Ren! Great comeback!" HoroHoro cheered as he drove towards a restaurant to eat at. "That was sweet. You had me worried in the beginning though, you kept missing my passes."_

_"Sorry. I was just out of it. Thinking too much." Ren answered. "But Lyserg kept you going though."_

_"Yeah! That was great Lyserg!" HoroHoro pulled into a parking spot. "What were you thinking about Ren? It's rare to see you so unconcentrated during a game."_

_"...Oh... It's just that I noticed something..."_

_"Oh, like what?" HoroHoro held up three fingers as they walked in and the waitress showed them where to sit._

_"That... my girlfriend is using so many excuses to not come to my games..." Ren said as they sat down with their menus._

_"Yuna? Yeah... I haven't seen much of her at games lately." HoroHoro said and looked at Ren. _

_There was a worried expression on Ren's face. "I think half of the times, she's probably lying to me too."_

_Lyserg's concern was showing. "What?"_

_"Yuna probably has her reasons for not telling you. You like her, she likes you, what bad can come out of this? Think positve." HoroHoro tried to lighten Ren's confused mood._

_"I know... but Yuna-" Ren stopped in mid-sentence. His brow was tightened and his face showed nearly all his emotions. Angry, sad, confused, frustrated, disappointment, pain. Ren stood up slowly, with his breath becoming heavier. He felt his chest tightened as he walked away from the table, confused._

_Lyserg and HoroHoro watched him for a minute, not catching what was really happening. They watched him walk towards another table and their eyes finally caught what Ren had saw._

_"Awww HELL NO!" HoroHoro jumped up angrily and stormed towards Ren._

_Crap... This is bad... Lyserg quickly followed and sprinted after HoroHoro. What they saw was Ren walking towards a table with a group of four sitting there. In that group was Yuna, sitting on a guy's lap and was all over him, kissing._

_"You b! I can't believe you!" HoroHoro shouted as he was about to pounce on her, but Lyserg grabbed him and pulled him to side as he struggled to get closer to her._

_She stopped and turned to see them. Surprise covered her face. "Ren!" She looked at his face and then to HoroHoro trying to break out of Lyserg's grasp._

_"Yuna..." Ren stared at her in shock. "Why..." He whispered._

_"Who is this Yuna?" The guy she was sitting on asked._

_She turned back to face him. "Oh, don't worry about it baby. He's just a friend."_

_Ren felt his heart explode to a million pieces. It felt so painful that he couldn't even speak at that moment._

_"You did NOT just say that you w! Let me go Lyserg! I have to teach that b something right now! How can you say that to Ren after everything he has done for you?" HoroHoro shouted angrily, not caring that everyone was staring at them._

_"HoroHoro! Calm down!" Lyserg gritted his teeth to keep him in his tight grip._

_The guy holding Yuna laughed. "Oh, so you're Ren Tao. Thank you for taking care of Yuna and getting me out of a tight spot."_

_Ren stared at him. "I don't understand."_

_The other couple laughed. "You don't get it? Yuna USED you." The girl smiled at him._

_"As if she would like a little rich schoolboy like you." The boy smirked. "The money you gave to her went to him. Got him out of a debt he owed. Simple as that."_

_"Is this true Yuna?" Ren looked at her unbelievingly, hoping she would deny it._

_Yuna smiled. "Sadly yes. I can't deny the truth to you now. I wasn't hoping that it was going to end this way though Ren. I really didn't."_

_Ren didn't feel as if he could be in any more pain that was more painful than what he was feeling at the moment. It was overbearing. "How were you expecting it to end then Yuna? Huh? Tell me." He reached over and grabbed her wrist. Anger was beginning to emerge from his emotions._

_The guy's hand went on his wrist and Ren glared at him. "Don't touch her Ren Tao." He said slowly._

_"HoroHoro, calm down and help me get Ren before he gets himself in trouble, alright? I need you to help." Lyserg stated hastily and released HoroHoro. He appeared beside Ren as well as HoroHoro and both of them quickly pulled Ren back._

_Lyserg whispered sharply in Ren's ear. "He's older than you and by the looks of it, he has people sitting at other tables ready to help him. I don't think we want to mess with a gang leader Ren. I don't think we can handle this right now."_

_Ren was breathing heavily as he glared at them. He freed one of his arms and pointed at Yuna. "I never ever want to see your face in my life again Yuna." _

The words echoed in his head as he remembered that she just stared blankly at him. His words not affecting her at all. He sighed painfully. It was a year ago and he still feels for her. He can't deny it, but it's never going to happen again. All the happy moments... were lies...

Ren slumped onto a chair. _Stupid Jun... I haven't thought about her and now she's running through my head every minute of the day... And seriously what am I thinking? Why didn't I say that Sumi was my childhood friend instead of girlfriend? And on impluse I kissed her!_ He groaned, burying his face into his hands. _They're right, I didn't even think about how she feels and what could happen. I can't believe myself. Stupid me... I'm thinking about my ex-girlfriend, liking a girl I know I can't get, and in a fake relationship with a girl I barely know._

_I think there's something wrong with me..._

Yoh was rummaging through the boxes of old videos. _Where is it? Hm..._ He pulled out some out, looked at them and then put them to the side. "Maybe it's this one..."

"Master Yoh. Do you need help with anything?" A voice behind him asked, watching him go through the boxes like a search dog.

Yoh answered him without looking back to him. "Oh no. I'm just looking for something."

"Alright then. Perhaps you would like something to eat or drink? Or perhaps Master Hao would like something?" The butler asked.

"I'm fine, but thank you. Hao is out with his girlfriend, so he isn't home." Yoh said and inserted the video into the machine.

"Alright then Master Yoh. Call me if you need me." The butler bowed and walked out of the room as the screen popped onto the television.

A younger Yoh and Hao appeared on television, along with a group of other kids. They were jumping around happily for the commercial, which was advertising a juice drink. Yoh looked closely at the group of kids, but with no luck. He took out the video and put in another.

Little Yoh appeared on the screen and started talking. The childish voice made Yoh wince and flush slightly. _How embarassing..._ He was talking about a new television show, trying to promote it. Little Hao also appeared beside him, introducing himself and giving his opinion on the new television show coming out for kids. Another boy appeared and then a girl. Two more girls came out now talking and lastly all of them spoke together, ending the commercial. Yoh smirked at the screen. _Now where is the video that Mom was watching?_

He looked around for the video and spotted it beside the movies. Putting it in, he saw the replay of what he saw with his mother. Yoh now grinned. _I knew it... Proved myself right..._

... P

Anna entered the hospital room with Jeanne in newly changed clothes. Her mother was still laying unconscious in her bed and her father turned to look at her.

A wide smile appeared on his face. "Hello Anna! How are things going? How was school today? Oh I see you brought Jeanne."

Jeanne bowed. "Hello Mr. Kyoyama. I wish for your speedy recovery."

"Ah, thank you thank you." Mr. Kyoyama replied cheerfully. "How was school girls? Talk to a lot of friends?"

Anna forced a smile. There was no way she could ever swallow her pride and say that she gets bullied. "School was fine Father. The same as always." She sat on the beside and looked at him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing pretty good. Feeling better than yesterday. Yoh Asakura came by earlier and brought me oranges." Her father laughed. "He **really** loves oranges. Really amusing that boy."

Jeanne looked excited. "Really Yoh Asakura came by? Aw that's so sweet!"

"Yeah, isn't it?" He was looking at her with his eyes gleaming.

She stared back at her father blankly. "..." _What is it that they want from me?_

"What do you think of Yoh Asakura Anna?" Her father asked, eyes twinkling.

Jeanne looked at her with wide eyes, waiting to hear her response.

"..." _What is he saying? _Anna's emotions remain unchanged. "Father, what does it matter?"

Her father grinned. "I thought perhaps, in the future, that he could be my son-in-law."

Jeanne covered her mouth with her hands and looked at Anna, ready to shout with glee. She waited for Anna's response, but Anna looked irritated.

"..." She frowned, stood up from the bed and walked towards the door, going out of the room. "Yoh Asakura is stupid..."

Mr. Kyoyama gave a small chortle at Anna's defensive reaction. "Sorry Anna." He smiled gently.

Jeanne gazed at Mr. Kyoyama with interest. "Are you really intending for Yoh to be your son-in-law?" She asked when Anna was out of the room.

"Sure! It would be nice." He said with a laugh. "But... it also depends on Anna."

Jeanne looked unsure and worried as her hands before her mouth. "Anna seems mad... It doesn't seem like she likes him that much... That can't be good..."

"Don't worry about it..." He looked outside the window. "I'm pretty sure that in time it won't be as bad..." A small smile played on his mouth. "In time, Anna will realize this..."

"Oh..." Jeanne stared at him, then nodded with a grin.

Anna had walked up to the roof and was staring out over the city with a grim face. _Why is it that it has to be Yoh Asakura?_

_I'm tired of hearing his name..._

_I don't want to think about him..._

_Don't want to talk about him..._

_Does he have to please everyone?_

_...Stupid Yoh Asakura..._


	8. Chapter 8

Originally this was suppose to focus more on the OC characters but apparently so far its not really following my base plan... the storyline isnt really suppose to be like this either... but oh wellz lets see where this takes us... thanks for the reviewz P

.: So This is How it is:.

"Keigo! Behind you!"

Keigo swung his leg connecting it with his opponent's stomach and sending him flying backwards. He thrust his elbow into his companion's chest and punched the guy running towards them. After a few more kicks and punches, a large group of guys were lying on the floor groaning in pain. Keigo leaned down and grabbed the leader of the group by his shirt and pulled him upwards towards him. The guy winced as Keigo growled in his face. "How disgusting. Don't ever think of picking on someone especially if there is an unfair advantage. Now, hand it over."

The leader eyed his group lying on the floor around them and glared at Keigo. He pulled out the money from his pocket and handed it to him. Keigo grabbed the money and released him. Standing up, he threatened. "This better be the right amount. If I hear that this is less than what you took, then I'm coming to look for you."

Keigo looked at the twins standing on the side. One of them had on a bored expression with his hands behind his head, while the other was staring at him with concern. "Takuya, Toshiro. Let's go."He walked towards them and handed the money to Toshiro, who gave him a small nod. Takuya, with his hands behind his head and yawning, followed Keigo out of the alley way.

Toshiro walked towards two boys, who were crouching in the corner and handed them the money. "Get out of here, but becareful next time..." He stood up and walked after his brother and Keigo.

--

HoroHoro made a slam dunk and cheered in victory. "Hell yeah! Who's the man?!"

Lyserg smirked. "Certainly not you!" He made three-pointer and grinned at HoroHoro.

Ren held the ball under his armpit and raised his eyebrows at them. "What is this? I own this court." Ren shot from the three point line and ran up to the hoop just as the ball fell through, only to catch it and slam dunk it.

Lyserg, HoroHoro, and Ren were playing basketball on the outside courts against each other to see who could make the most shots and so far Ren had the lead. They would have been playing inside, but the volleyball team had taken over the courts, not that they minded because the weather was so nice outside. The only thing about playing outside was that... a large crowd of fangirls had gathered to watch them.

"Whoo! Go Ren!" A couple girls screamed happily. "You rock!"

"It's okay Lyserg! You can do it!"

"HoroHoro! You're still the man!"

Ren looked irritated as he dribbled the ball. _How annoying..._

Lyserg ignored them and continued playing, but HoroHoro was totally distracted by them. "That's right ladies! I am the man!"

He spotted Jeanne amongst the crowd and smiled. He rushed up to her and grinned. "Hi Jeanne! What brings you here today?"

Jeanne smiled shyly as she quickly glanced around. "Ah, I was just walking by and wanted to see what was going on."

"Oh, me, Lyserg, and Ren are just playing basketball." He thumbed towards Lyserg and Ren shooting baskets. Jeanne's eyes followed his thumb and looked at Lyserg shooting a ball. Lyserg saw her staring at him with the corners of his eyes, but went back to playing.

"Oh..." Jeanne looked at HoroHoro and smiled. "Sorry for bothering you. Go back to your game. I'll see you later. Bye." She bowed.

"You don't need to do that." HoroHoro scratched his head. "Come out to our games if ever you have time. See you later." HoroHoro grinned and ran back onto the court to join his two friends.

Jeanne glanced at them one last time, her eyes lingering at Lyserg's back before sighing and heading towards the track.

--

Sumi groaned as she sweeped the ground, pushing the small particles of glass into a pile. _Never am I doing that again..._ Earlier she had tried to carry four beakers at once to the sink to wash, but someone had bumped into her, causing her to drop all four beakers, thus breaking them all. The teacher had allow everyone else to leave except her, telling her to clean up the mess she made, which was logical, but she had to head out to work soon.

Work at Happiness wasn't that bad. Everyone was pretty nice and easy to talk to. She had discovered that Ryo was also just starting to work there, so it was nice that there was someone that she knew. All she had to do was take orders and bring them out to the customers. However, it was only tiring when the restaurant got really busy around the evening. Everything became really fast pace and rushed, but she recieved a good amount of the tips when she got off work for the day.

Sumi crouched to the ground to pick up a large piece, but suddenly the glass sliced through her skin, making her pull back her hand quickly. She looked at the blood beginning to emerge on her finger and was about to put her finger into her mouth, but a hand stopped her by grabbing her hand. She looked away from her hand, surprised to see Hao looking at her.

"Don't put it into your mouth, you idiot. There were chemicals in those beakers." Hao sighed and stood up, pulling her up with him. Dragging her to the sink, he turned on the faucet and stuck her hand underneath the running water. "Even though it was only sucrose, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Wha-? It's okay Hao. I can do it myself. It's small, so don't worry." She attempted to pull her hand back, but his grip held her there.

Hao washed her cut without answering her and wrapped it in a paper towel before releasing her hand. "I didn't say I was worrying. Knowing you, you probably would have mutated yourself if I didn't show up."

"No, I wouldn't." She touched her paper toweled hand. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I felt bad." He walked to the glass and began cleaning it up. "It was my fault that I bumped into the girl and made her crash into you, otherwise you wouldn't be here." He smirked at her. "But then again... you probably would have done something like drop all of it anyways."

"No I wouldn't. I'm not that clumsy." Sumi made a face and walked towards him. "Here, it's okay. I can do it myself. I don't wan-" She forgot that there was liquid on the floor and slipped on it, falling forward.

Hao dropped the broom and caught her, his face inches from hers. He smirked again. "See what I mean? What did I say?"

Sumi frowned and pushed herself to a standing position. "I can do it myself. You don't need to keep yourself here." She quickly began cleaning, so she could get out of there as fast as possible, especially since she was running late for work.

Hao crossed his arms and smiled smugly. "Ay, I don't even get a thank you? I saved you twice already."

Sumi stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Thank you." She said gently and went back to her cleaning.

He pursed his lips, for some reason, his heart skipped a beat for a second. Now that was abnormal to him. Usually he could remain calm, inside and out. He took a breath and started to head towards the door, but turned around right before he left and grinned at her. "Don't get use to me saving you now. I don't want you falling for me, Sumi Mitsuki."

Sumi looked over to him, just to see him waving as he headed out the door with a chuckle. _As if I would..._ She finished up and grabbed her things as quickly as she could and headed out of the classroom.

--

Anna left the hospital room with a relieved sigh and closed the door behind her gently. _I'm glad that Father is doing alright... though Mom hasn't awoken yet..._ She stared at the ground blankly, thinking about how her father looked when she had first opened the door. There was a painful sad expression on his face as he grasped her mother's hand and holding it to his face. His eyes were closed and he was whispering "Sorry..." quietly. When her Father noticed that Anna had walked in, a bright smile replaced his features and he waved to her happily. She closed her eyes and clutched her shirt. _Please be okay Mother..._

"Doing alright Anna?"

Her head snapped up to see Yoh, looking at her with concern. "I'm fine." She walked past him and headed towards the exit.

Yoh looked after her, clenched his fist, then decided to go after her. _I'm not going to give up just yet..._ "Anna, wait up!"

Anna kept walking, ignoring Yoh. _What does he want? I have enough problems as it is... _

"Anna... Hey! I need to talk to you!" Yoh yelled after her as he jogged to catch up to her.

She frowned and passed through the doors. Their fangirls were giving her glares the whole day and she was pretty sure that they were planning something up. Good thing she had left school early so she could see her parents otherwise she would have faced them. Not that she was afraid. It was just tiring to always see them. _I hope Jeanne is doing alright... At least better than I am..._ One of the fangirls had 'bumped' into her today when she was going down the stairs, making her drop all her papers. Anna had to strongly resist herself from kicking the girl down the stairs during her rising anger. She had told herself that there were too many witnesses if she did.

A hand grabbed her arm and a truck zoomed by in front of her. She bit her lip and balled up her fists. She was about the cross the street, but had been too caught up in her thoughts to notice that there was a truck coming. Turning to face Yoh, she glared. How was she suppose to be angry at him now? Yoh hardly made people angry. What's her excuse to not talk to him?

He pulled her closer to him, away from the street. "Are you alright Anna? Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Anna gave a short standoff answer. She was tense and completely avoided eye contact with him.

"That's good..." Yoh smiled, but then asked. "Why did you avoid me the whole day at school?"

She was expecting this question. "I... don't want trouble. And you and Hao **are** trouble."

Yoh turned her face so she was facing him. "I'm sorry Anna... But we're friends right?" He said softly. "I still want us to be friends despite that you think me and Hao are trouble. I want us to talk like normal friends do. So... tell me your problems and I'll do my best to solve them for you. That way, if there's no problems, we can be like normal friends right? And you won't avoid me right?"

Anna looked to the ground. "It's not that easy."

"I can at least try. It won't hurt." Yoh gave her a lopsided smile. "C'mon Anna. The harder you try, you can make it happen."

Anna relaxed a bit. "Since when did you ever wanted to be my friend? I don't recall this happening before." Talking to Yoh was rather calming.

Yoh scratched his head. "You don't remember?" He grinned. "Since the very beginning. When you first moved here, Hao and I were already trying to befriend you. Though Hao was more like flirting with you, but that doesn't matter, we were trying to talk to you. Somehow you just kept avoiding us even though we tried. Only a few times did we get to talk... but something always happened after when we talked didn't it? That's why you kept avoiding us?"

Anna didn't answer and turned around, ready to cross the street. _If you knew, then why you must you still come try to talk to me? _After looking both ways, she stepped onto the street, but Yoh pulled her back and turned her to face him once again.

"Friends?" He stuck out his hand to her.

She hesitated, looked at Yoh and his welcoming hand, then back at him, before taking his into her own. "You dork." She then released his hand and proceeded to cross the street to head towards her car.

Yoh grinned at her back, feeling one step closer to Anna. He cupped his hands to his mouth and called out to her. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen!"

Anna looked back and gave one last wave before disappearing into the rows and rows of cars. She smiled to herself. _You dork..._

Little did they know that the both of them were being watched by an unknown person lurking in the shadows. The person smirked then disappeared within the darkness, unknown to both Yoh and Anna.

--

Lyserg stuffed the rest of his smelly clothes into his duffle bag and pulled the towel off of his damp hair and shoved it in as well. He had just took a shower in the locker room along with Ren and HoroHoro, but they were still showering. Swinging the duffle bag onto his shoulder, he called out to them, "Yo guys, I'm going to wait for you outside at the benches alright? I'll see you guys out there."

"Okay Lyserg!" HoroHoro shouted back in a singsong voice.

Ren turned off his water. "Shut up HoroHoro and hurry up and finish." He stepped out with a towel wrapped around him. "We'll see you outside Lyserg." He nodded.

Lyserg chuckled and waved as he walked out of the locker room with his duffle bag on his shoulder. He pushed his some of his hair out of his face as he walked through the halls of the school. Yelling was suddenly heard and Lyserg lifted one of his eyebrows. Curious, he walked forward and looked down one of the adjacent hallways.

A group of girls were surrounding a single girl. "Don't you ever learn your lesson? Don't go near them! Don't make conversation with them! You know the rules!"

"You are not allowed to exist in their world if you aren't in their fanclub. We should have an equal shot at them as well." The girls stated.

"Ahem." Lyserg cleared his throat. "What are you girls doing?"

Everyone turned to see Lyserg standing there with his wifebeater shirt and basketball shorts with his damp hair, staring at them curiously. They gulped at the sight of him and stuttered, "N-Nothing... W-we were just having a normal conversation with her." Within that second, they scattered away from him blushing like crazy.

Lyserg looked after them and then sighed. He turned to the girl standing against the locker, only to realize that it was Jeanne. "You okay?"

Jeanne nodded silently with a tint of pink on her cheeks. She stared at him in awe and Lyserg scratched his head.

"Take care of yourself better next time." He said and turned around to walk back the way he came.

"L-Lyserg!" She called out.

Lyserg looked over his shoulder at her. "Hm?"

Jeanne blushed and bowed. "Um... T-Thank you... um..."

She looked like she wanted to say something else, but was hesitating. Lyserg raised an eyebrow and decided that he should leave. "No problem. I'll see you later." He walked back down towards the hall.

Jeanne looked at her feet and rubbed her hands together nervously. _I need to talk to him..._ Deciding that she should go after him, she walked down the same path he took a few minutes later after she regained her composture.

Lyserg rubbed his temple. It better not be what he think it is otherwise things are going to get complicated. _Great..._

Sumi's voice was now heard, echoing through the hallways. _Hm... What now..._

"-I need to get pass, you guys. I'm already running late. Can I go through please?" Sumi's voice pleaded.

"We need to clarify this situation first, then we'll let you through." A girl's voice replied back to her. "What is your relationship to Ren Tao?"

"Should it matter? I thought we already went over this."

"You didn't answer the question. We just want to clarify whether or not you're his girlfriend. Because Liz had said that you weren't."

"Go ask Ren then. I don't have to prove myself to you."

"Sumi, just answer the question." Another voice spoke up and it sounded like Liz.

Lyserg had reached the source of the voices. He saw Sumi facing three girls with Liz leaning against a locker behind them. The good thing was that no one had noticed him.

Sumi hesitated. _They already mess with me whether or not I'm Ren's girlfriend, so it shouldn't matter if I tell them the truth. That way Ren doesn't have to act for me and pretend that everything is okay and normal. It's hard for him too... So I must not burden him..._ Sumi looked straight at Liz then back at the girls. She smiled. "Okay, I guess it doesn't matter to me anyways. I'm not Ren's girlfriend. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Is that the truth?" The orange-haired girl asked.

Sumi paused then nodded. She looked at Liz, who didn't look surprised at her response.

The orange head girl exploded. "I can't believe you made Ren lie with you! How can you do that to him? You lyin-"

An arm snaked around Sumi's waist and warm air breathed by her ear. "So the cat's out of the bag, but I hope you guys aren't picking on your fellow classmate."

Everyone looked stunned for a second and Sumi turned her head to see Lyserg behind her. _What's going on?_

"Oh no, of course not Lyserg." The blue-haired girl standing in the center answer smugly after her stunned expression vanished. "As you can see, we did nothing of the sort to harm her."

Lyserg saw with the corners of his eyes that Jeanne had caught up to see his act. _Good... Hopefully that will discouraged her... _Ren and HoroHoro was now running to catch up with them. "That's good then, but ever I see her hurt in any way, I will not forgive any of you."

HoroHoro jumped in front of them. He glared fiercefully. "Were you guys picking on her?"

Only the blond one in the group looked frightened by HoroHoro. The other two answered calmly. "No, she's not hurt."

Ren walked up to Lyserg and whispered. "What's going on?"

Lyserg released Sumi. "The cat's out of the bag Ren." He whispered into his ear. "They know Sumi's not your girlfriend."

_Girls are so nosy..._ Ren put his hand through his damp hair.

"Ren, I'm sorry that she put you through with all the lies. For that, I will punished her for you!" The orange-haried girl shouted, but the blue-haired elbowed her.

Ren glared at them. "Don't touch her." He grabbed Sumi's hand. "Come on Sumi." He walked past them, dragging her along.

Lyserg looked after them, then followed them, ignoring the girls that he walked past. HoroHoro saw them leave, then went to Jeanne. "Are you okay?"

Jeanne nodded, but looked grim.

"Come on..." HoroHoro reached for her arm and tugged her gently to follow him.

_Lyserg... _Jeanne suddenly remembered when Lyserg and her first met as HoroHoro led her outside. He was protecting Sumi... _What is Sumi to you? What am I to you?_

Ren stopped at the bench that they usually hung out at, but still held onto Sumi's hand. Hao was already sitting there, looking at them with interest at their arrival. Ren pointed a threatening finger at Hao. "Get your girlfriend to stop picking on Sumi."

Hao stood up, giving Sumi a worried glance. "Liz was picking on her?"

"No, no. She wasn't. Don't get the wrong idea guys. They didn't do anything to me." Sumi answered quickly before they could jump to conclusions. "It wasn't Liz's fault. Don't blame her Hao. She's probably having a hard time."

"Whatever Sumi. We saw and we believe what we saw." Ren made a face and turned to face her. "I'm sorry for putting you through this." Lyserg, HoroHoro, and Jeanne arrived at the bench and sat down to watch them.

"It's okay. Don't think about it anymore. Plus I'm not your girlfriend and they all know that. I really appreciated you helping me though." She smiled at him. "Thanks."

He released her hand to scratch his head. "I didn't even do anything to help. More like caused problems for you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm alright." Her eyes fell to the ground, thinking thoughtfully to herself.

Hao reached out and pulled Sumi closer to him. "Do they pick on you?" He asked forcefully.

"...No..." Sumi met his eyes and attempted to free her arm from his grasp.

He furrowed his brow and frowned at her. "Don't lie..."

She breathed and stared up at him. "What is it that you want? My answer stays the same."

_Man... she's stubborn... Why do you need to hide it? _ Hao closed his eyes, looking riled.

"Are you asking because you're worried about me?"

His eyes shot opened to see Sumi looking smug. He quickly released her arm and scoffed. "Yeah right..." He took a step back and sat down on the bench, looking away.

Ren, Lyserg, and HoroHoro shared a questioning glance. It was not normal for Hao to quickly deny a chance to be flirtatious. Now something was up.

Sumi was now giggling at his reaction, amused.

"We... we all get pick on." Jeanne voiced quietly. Her sudden decision to speak threw everyone off.

"What?" All heads now turned to Jeanne and stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

Sumi bit her lip. _I'm sorry Jeanne... I didn't know you don't want to hide it..._

"If... we associate with any of you. We get bullied. Any girls that aren't in your fan clubs have rules to follow if we don't there are consequences." Jeanne informed. "Sometimes they get really aggressive..."

Lyserg remembered the time he saw Sumi covered in paint and gave an inward sigh. _There's no need to keep it to yourself Sumi..._

_Not only Sumi... but Anna too... Why are they hiding it? _Ren clenched his fist.

HoroHoro looked over to Hao and saw that his face fell deep into thought. _That's why my sister joined their stupid fan club... Hao... I know you would never have any feelings for my sister... so... I hope she never confesses to you..._

_Hmm... everyone is thinking... _Sumi looked at her cellphone and sweatdropped. "Ahh! I'm late! I have to go guys. Bye!" Before anyone else could say anything, she had ran out of sight, leaving behing a trail of dust.

"Where is she going in such a rush?" Ren asked and crossed his arms.

"Who knows. She been like that these few days and she comes back really late at night." Liz appeared staring after the dust trail.

Jeanne tensed when she heard Liz's voice and looked over uneasily. "I have to leave too... Bye..." She said quietly and made her escape hastily.

"Bye! ...Jeanne..." HoroHoro waved to her backside.

Lyserg watched their reactions. It didn't look like Liz even really acknowledged Jeanne's presence, but Jeanne was scared of her presence.

Hao snapped out of his daze and grinned at Liz. "Hey, how's it going?" His voice gentle and soothing.

Liz's excited smile appeared on her face and she went over to hug him, resting her head on his chest. "I'm doing okay. How about you?"

"Good. Good..." His last word trailed off as a far distant gaze reappeared back in his eyes.

Liz looked back up at him worried. "Are you sure? What wrong?"

Hao blinked and grinned down at Liz. "Oh nothing. It's nothing. Let's go eat! Do you guys want to eat too?" He smiled at the rest of them.

HoroHoro looked away and Ren shook his head. Lyserg stared back at Hao.Something was up with Hao. He seemed a bit different. "No, it's okay. You guys go ahead. We're just going to hang out at Ren's house. Stop by later Hao."

Hao nodded as he watch them turn and take their leave, giving him a wave. His attention flew back to Liz. "So what do you want to eat?"

"Let's eat sushi!" Liz cried out happily and entwined her hand with his. She jumped off him and pulled him off the bench. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah..." Hao allowed himself to be dragged towards his car as he gazed at Liz's backside. _I feel... confused?... Is that what I feel?..._

--;)

Anna sighed and closed her car door. _I'm sorry I can't do much Mother... Father... _After taking a few breaths, she began walking up towards her doorway. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her shoulders. She whirled around to face them, but a cloth pressed against her face and then she lost consciousness. _Dammit!_ She cursed as everything around her became dark.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. She was laying in bed, so she quickly sat up and jumped off. _What is this?_ She gazed around the room quickly and looked down at herself, relieved to find herself still fully dressed. _That's stupid. They kidnapped me right outside of my own home..._ She hurried to the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked. She looked over to the window. _I can escape from there!_ When she turned away from the door, it unexpectantly opened. An unfamiliar man came into the room and Anna's self defense mode kicked in. Reaching for the nearest thing, which happened to be a large book, she heaved it with all her might at the man.

"Anna Kyoya- aahh!" The book hit him squarely on the forehead hard and he sunked to the ground with his eyes rolling back.

Anna tried the window, but it was stuck and it wouldn't budge a bit. Deciding to use the door, she rapidly hopped over the man lying on the ground and sprinted into the hallway. A foot flew towards her face and she quickly brought up her hands to block it. Anna jumped backwards and brought down her hands. Before her stood a little old lady, who was smirking at her. A bewildered expression covered her face as she kept her guard up.

The old woman chuckled and began clapping her hands. "You are just too wonderful. Beautiful and capable! I like you! You even knocked out my bodyguard!"

"Uh... thanks?" Anna scratched her head, confused.

The woman cleared her throat. "Sorry for bringing you here like this Anna Kyoyama, but I will explain in a little bit. My name is Kino Asakura..."

--;)

Liz didn't know whether to be sad or angry as Hao drove away to head towards Ren's house. It seemed that he had a lot on his mind, but didn't want to share it and kept saying "Nothing's wrong," with a smile when she asked. He would then tell her to continue and for a moment his attention would be on her, but then he would unconsciously drift back into his thoughts.

What made her frustrated the most was that right after he hugged her goodbye, he asked, "Liz, could you ask those fan clubs of ours to not bother Sumi and the others? They are going through some hard times with those girls. It would be great if you could help."

Liz had gave a hesitant answer. "Sure... I'll try."

A smile appeared on his face and he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks! You're the best. I gotta run now, so I'll see you later." Hao waved and hopped into his car.

She felt aggravated and upset as she crouched to the ground. "Argg..." _Doesn't he know that I'm going through hard times too with those girls? Shit... It's always Sumi... Why is it? I try so hard... Those girls aren't giving me an easy time either you know... Hao... What is it that you want? I know that I don't fully have your heart... but I really care about you... What can I do?_

--;)

"Who does Liz think she is?"

"Yeah! If she thinks we really are going to accept her this easily she's wrong!"

"We're not going to easily forgive those who take the precious Hao Asakura from us!"

"Calm down girls..." Mika looked around at the irritated fangirls. "I've got a plan. We're going to keep continuing to act nice to her though. For now, she needs to be on our side."

Pirika and Tamao looked at each other. Somehow they knew this wasn't going to be good.

"You girls!" Mika pointed at Pirika and Tamao. "You girls are going to perform this act."

"Wh-wha?" Pirika cried out. "Why us?"

"Because, you guys haven't done any of the work yet. We were always the ones doing it. If you don't agree to this..." Mika looked behind her, a few of the girls grinned mischieveiously and pulled out rope.

Tamao hid behind Pirika, peeking over her shoulder. "Pirika... What do we do?" She whispered scared.

Her heart was beating fast. She was scared of them though she hate to admit it. "...Fine... alright..." Pirika frowned. "What do you want us to do?"

Mika smirked and pulled them closer to her as she began whispering her plan to the frightened two girls.

--;)

"Kino Asakura... Then that means..." Anna contemplated.

"I am Hao Asakura and Yoh Asakura's grandmother nonetheless." The old woman nodded. "I have some important matters to talk to you and my grandsons about. As of this moment, they are heading back right now. Let's go join them when they arrive. Follow me."

Anna was surprised at what was happening, but she slowly trailed after her, walking down the large hallway. _What does she need to talk to me about?... What's going on?... _

They arrived at the large dining table and it looked like Hao and Yoh's parents were already sitting there. Anna was very confused, but bowed to greet them. "Please sit Anna." Their mother gestured to the chair in front of them and smiled warmly.

"Thank you." Anna replied hesitantly and pulled out the chair. But before she could sit down, the Asakura twins rushed into the room breathing heavily.

"What's wrong? Where's grandpa? Is he okay? What happened?" Hao and Yoh asked rapidly. "Where's the family emergency?"

Yoh then noticed Anna. "Anna, what are you doing here?"

She stared back at him blankly. "I don't know why I'm here."

Laughter was heard from their grandmother. "Sorry boys, your grandfather is fine. There is no threat to his life in any way. He's very healthy. I just needed you guys to get back here as soon as possible. Sit. Sit. I'll explain everything."

Both Yoh and Hao frowned at their grandmother and crossed their arms. "That is not funny grandma. It's not something to joke about." Hao glared angrily.

"Aw. I'm sorry my little starfish, but please sit. I have important matters to discuss with you." Kino Asakura gave them an apologetic look.

Hao blushed at hearing his nickname and sat down, looking at his parents with raised eyebrows, wondering why they were also there. Anna and Yoh were surpressing their giggles at Hao's embarassed state.

"Now, other than Keiko, Mikihisa, and myself, the three of you don't know why I called you here. It's a rather simple, but important matter." She pulled out a piece of paper. "It is about the marriage between Anna Kyoyama... and Hao Asakura..."

"WHAT!" Anna, Hao, and Yoh jumped up and screamed.

"Whoa! What a strong reaction!" Kino Asakura exclaimed.

"Grandma! You can't be serious!" Hao cried out, exasperated.

"So you kidnapped me, knocked me out in front of my own home, and brought me here to tell me that I'm being married to him?!" Anna fumed as she pointed at Hao. "Out of all people?!"

Hao glowered at her. "Hey, don't say it like it's a bad thing to be married to me. It's not like I want to married to you either. Lots of girls would be happy that they are getting married to me!"

Anna faced him angrily. "Well, I'm not like lots of girls. I rather face inhumane torture than to marry you."

"Same goes for me. I wouldn't want to marry a girl who doesn't even act or look like one."

"What did you say? I dare you to say that again LITTLE STARFISH!"

"Wha-"

"Grandma, isn't this a bit too extreme? What exactly is going on?" Yoh asked during their argument.

"Stop bickering and sit down so I can explain!" Kino demanded and the three of them went silent and sat down with Anna and Hao throwing dark looks at each other.

"This agreement was made months ago. The people who made this decision were Anna's mother and Yoh and Hao's grandfather. Knowing how he is, once his decision is made. It is set. The contract is signed right here if you really want to see it." She passed the paper over to Anna, who looked at it and the color from her face were drained. She passed it over to Hao and he rubbed his head then passed it to Yoh.

"The reason I am bringing this out now is because Anna's mother is hospitalized right now as you may know. And I just want her to see her daughter grow up if anything were to happen."

Anna's shoulders fell and she looked at her lap. She didn't want to think of that possibility. Plus she was too young to be thinking about marriage anyways.

Hao gave a glance at Anna then stood up once again. "I refuse. We aren't in love with each other and I already have a girlfriend. Don't you think this is too old fashion? I mean arrange marriages?"

"I have no say in this Hao. This decision was made by your grandfather. And your girlfriend, you have to bring her in to allow her to be approved by your grandfather. Otherwise, you can't date her." Kino informed.

Yoh stood up now. "Isn't this a bit unfair to both of them grandma? Shouldn't they have the choice to choose who they want to marry?"

"Like I said. I really can't do much. Your grandfather made this decision, it is pretty much set." Kino sighed.

"Why is it me that he chose for her to marry? Why not Yoh?" Hao asked.

Kino smiled. "He chose you because you're older and plus he wanted to keep you under control, knowing how you are. And you boys are always going out late at night, thinking that I don't know about this. Tsk, tsk."

Both Hao and Yoh looked grim. Hao looked at his parents. "Is there anything you guys can do about this?"

Both of them shook their heads with an apologetic smile. "Sorry Hao."

"Are you sure that there is nothing we can do to break this contract?" Anna questioned, now also standing and putting her hands flat on the table leaning towards Kino.

A smug look appeared on the old woman's face. "Perhaps there is, but you guys must figure it out yourself... However, until then, Anna Kyoyama and Hao Asakura are tied together by engagement." She stood up and began walking towards the stairs. "Come Mikihisa, Keiko. I require your assistance in discussing what's to come. Boys, don't bother me."

The three of them watch the little old woman retreat up the stairs and shared a sigh. "Sorry Anna..." Hao apologized and sat on top of the table.

"There's no need. You're in the same position as I am." Anna glanced at him. "We just need to figure out how to break the contract, so we don't need to marry each other."

"You're right..." Hao pursed his lips and thought.

Yoh sat back down on the chair. "Well, there's many possibilities to approach this." Both Hao and Anna looked at him. "You can go talk to Grandfather."

"Grandfather is scary. He'll keep bugging me to take over the business after Father..." Hao leaned his head onto his hand. "But I guess it's a possibility..."

"Or you can find the contract and destroy it, but somehow I don't think that will do much." Yoh pointed out. "They probably have multiple copies, knowing how smart grandfather is."

"Sounds like a good idea though. Maybe the contract will say what we can do to break the contract. There must be exceptions." Hao rubbed his chin. "We'll go on the search starting tomorrow. Anna, you should search your house. I'm pretty sure your mother probably had a copy. We can't let them know what we're doing though."

Anna nodded. "I'm going to head back. Your grandmother sure has some scary methods to get us to come to talk to her."

"Yeah I know, but I suppose I see from her view. We wouldn't want to come to talk to her about this if she didn't use this approach. Though her methods are pretty extreme." Hao stated.

Anna walked towards the door and Yoh spoke up. "I'll walk you back Anna."

She turned around and waved. "It's okay. I'll make it back alright. Thanks." She continued walking, but stopped to say one last thing. "Can you guys not say this at school?"

"Yeah, not a problem." Hao agreed and Anna made her way back to the door. He looked at Yoh. "It would have worked out better if it was you rather than me..."

Yoh smiled at Hao. "Why would you say that?"

"You like Anna... It's plain as day." Hao gave a small laugh. "And our family accepts her already. As for me... I'm not sure my girlfriend would be suitable to grandfather's tastes." He rubbed his hands together.

"I admire her. It's different from liking her. I'm not on that level yet." Yoh pointed out.

Hao jumped off the table. "Sure... then you sure have admired her for quite a while." He gave Yoh a smirk then headed upstairs towards his room. "I see it."

_I guess Hao is also quite observant..._ Yoh sighed as he walked to the window and stared out. Why did this have to happen now? Things were just barely slowly progressing between them, but now she's engaged to his brother. Even though it wasn't their decision to get engaged, he still felt a bit sad that it wasn't him instead of Hao. _Anna... I hope... things between us will turn out okay..._ Yoh closed his eyes and pressed his head against the window, feeling the coolness of the glass.

--;)

"Kino, are you sure this is a good idea?" Keiko Asakura asked worried for her sons.

The old woman laughed. "Of course! This way if they really like each other then they would have to come out and say it."

"Mother, what if they get emotionally affected?" Mikihisa leaned back on his chair.

"Don't worry about it. Your father is always right on his instincts." She smiled and her grin grew wider when her bodyguard entered the room holding an icepack to his head. "Amidamaru! How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing alright Mistress. She caught me unexpectedly. I was surprised at her strength." Amidamaru bowed.

Kino chuckled, satisfied with the outcome of her plans. "Excellent job Amidamaru. I want you to keep spying on them and report to me any signs of progress, got that?"

"Yes Ma'am!" Amidamaru bowed his head.

--;)

Hao closed his door and rested against it. He had never been so hesitant in what he says and his actions before so why was he feeling so... so unsure?... Was it because he was actually starting to like Liz? What was the issue with Anna? Somehow when he saw her look so torn with what she wanted and what her mother wanted, he felt torn as well. _I supposed it was because I never seen her look that way..._ He had even apologized to her at the very end. Something he hardly did. Hao grabbed his head. _What's wrong with me?_ _Why am I starting to feel so confused? This never happened before..._ Hao walked over to his patio overlooking the backyard and leaned against the ledge. A breeze blew, ruffling his hair and it calmed him a little. He rest his head against his arm and let out a breath of air. _Don't think about it too much..._ _Things will work out..._

_But... Yoh looked somewhat sad when he found out... I'm sorry Yoh..._ _I will fix this someway... somehow..._ Hao stood up and decide to go for a ride to clear his thoughts. Grabbing his keys, he headed to the garage to hop onto his motorcycle. Revving the engine, he went out into the driveway and onto the street. _ I will figure everything out... I will solve this... Don't worry guys... I don't you guys to be hurt because of me..._


	9. Chapter 9

.: So This is How it is:.

Jeanne was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling with her thoughts replaying numerous scenes of Lyserg. She sighed a bit depressed. _Lyserg... Do you really not see me?_ She closed her eyes and then sat up. Patting her cheeks rapidly, she said to herself out loud, "No! I can't think like this. I have to try to make him see me. I don't want to lose."

Clasping her hands together, she smiled and rolled around on her bed. "Lyyyseerrrggg!"

She stopped and sat up. "I wonder what kind of girls Lyserg likes... I should find out..."

Jumping off her bed and bouncing to the computer, she began typing away with her thoughts only filled with the green haired boy.

--;)

Yoh's phone vibrated in his pocket and he pushed his face away from the window to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.

"Hello?"

"Yoh, where you at?" HoroHoro's voice came through the speaker.

"At home... What's up?"

"Come over to Ren's house to chill. Hao said that he had things to do so he's not coming."

"Hao? He should be at home too..." A sound of the garage closing and revving of the engine reached Yoh's ears. "Or not..." Yoh ran his fingers through his hair. "I'll be there in a little bit then."

"Alright. We'll see you here. Laters."

Yoh pocketed his phone and walked towards the garage. Hao's car was still there, so Yoh figured he took his bike. Taking out his keys, he hopped into his own car and made his way over to Ren's house.

--;)

Hao sped down the streets making his way over to his friend's auto shop. He figured thinking about his car would get his mind off things or just talking to his friend would help him a bit. He stopped his bike in front of the shop and the workers looked up and waved to him as he pulled off his helmet.

"Hey Hao! What's happening?" A few of them greeted him as he walked towards the cars going through fixing and upgrades.

"Not much! How's work guys?" Hao greeted, putting his fist against theirs.

They smirked. "Same ol' same ol'."

Hao glanced around. "Is Rio in?"

"You just missed him. He left to check up on his restaurant a little while ago." One of the workers informed.

"Ryunosuke Umemiya. You surprise me all the time. I never expected him to open up a restaurant." Hao looked at the others.

"Neither did we. He sure is something. He's managing here and over there, but I heard he had lots of help especially from Manta."

"Manta is over there too? Whoa. I didn't see this coming either." An astonished look covered his face. Manta was one of Yoh's good friends and despite his height, that kid was a complete genius at figuring what parts would complement each car. He was the main technician with his laptop and pretty beneficial to Rio's auto shop because there were never errors when they fixed the cars.

"Yeah, it was a spur of a moment thing for them when they were walking down the street and they saw the building for rent. And within two days, Ryunosuke and Manta used up all their savings to start up that business. I heard it's prospering pretty well though. Knowing Manta, he probably did all his calculating and got the business roaring with people." One of the workers explained.

"And what is this restaurant called?"

One of the guys brought him a business card and gave it to him.

Hao read it and cracked up. "Happiness? That's such a cheesy name! Haha! I bet Rio came up with that, knowing him." Hao finished up laughing and wiped away the tears that appeared in his eyes. "Alright guys. Thanks. I'm going to check out this 'Happiness' of Rio and Manta." Hao waved and walked towards his bike, chuckling to himself.

--;)

Anna trudged up the stairs into her room after her dinner. Throwing herself onto her bed, she muffled a scream into the pillow. _This is stupid... How could mother do this to me?_ She walked over to her window and looked across to Sumi's room. She wasn't there. The past few days, Sumi had been coming home pretty late and climbing on the side of the house to get to her window. She wondered what Sumi was up to or what was happening. Things were taking a strange turn. Her normal life before was very predictable, but now lots of unexpected events were happening and she wasn't sure if this was a good thing.

She sat at her desk and dropped her head on the table. _I don't want to marry that cocky conceited Hao Asakura..._ She began banging her head on the table. _No. No. No. I don't want this. _She stopped and shut her eyes. Somehow she felt so alone. Her parents weren't there and the only other person in the house was the butler. She couldn't confide to him. She should be use to this feeling, but now the silence seemed louder than before. Anna sighed. _This isn't the time..._ She picked up the phone and dialed Jeanne's number.

--;)

"Are you serious??" HoroHoro jumped up and exclaimed.

Lyserg scratched his head. "What kind of grandfather is this?"

"So Anna is now Hao's fiance?" Ren confirmed.

Yoh nodded. "Don't tell anyone else though. It'll probably give Anna trouble."

"Got it." Lyserg agreed.

"What did they say about this?" Ren asked.

"Naturally both of them disagrees with this arrangement. So they're trying to find ways to solve this problem." Yoh scratched his head.

HoroHoro put on his thinking face. "I would find this very hilarious that Anna is getting stuck in an arrange marriage, but since it's to Hao... I'm not sure what to say..."

"Could you guys help me think of possibilities of what my grandfather would want to break off this marriage?" Yoh asked.

Silence fell through the room as the three of them pondered to themselves.

"Did Hao tell them that he has a girlfriend?" Lyserg asked.

"Yeah... But it didn't seem enough to break of the marriage. My grandmother said that they have to approve of the person he brought in."

"Maybe if Hao said that his girlfriend was pregnant or if he said he had already married her then they would cancel it off!" HoroHoro stated his idea.

**Bonk! **Ren's hand met HoroHoro's head. "Idiot. That would disgrace their family! The Asakuras wouldn't want something to taint their names like that and neither would our families. It would be the spread of gossip."

"Ow... Sorry about that..." HoroHoro rubbed his head with a silly grin.

After a few more minutes of silence, Lyserg gave a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry Yoh, but I can't think of anything right now. When I come up with something, I'll be sure to tell you." Lyserg gave an apologetic look.

Ren shrugged. "Same here."

"Its alright." He grabbed an orange and stuffed it into his mouth. "I'm sure something will come up."

HoroHoro sat down beside him. "Hey Yoh, did you hear about the rules the fangirls made?..."

--;)

Hao stood in front of the restaurant, grinning slightly as he looked at the name of the restaurant. He made his way to the door and pushed it open. His ears was hit with a wave of bustling noises. The restaurant was crazy crowded and full of people's chattering and laughing. Hao looked at the time. It was 8:30PM, of course, it was dinner time as well. He spotted Rio at the bar and made his way over to find him a seat. He could hear the piano playing in the background over the people's chatter and the waiters and waitresses hurrying around to serve the customers.

He dropped himself onto a seat and leaned on the counter, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Rio was looking down at the drink that he was making, not even looking up at him.

"I'm sorry I'll help you in a second. What would you like today?" His friend asked as he hurried to finish making his drink.

Hao smirked. "I'm looking for my friend Ryunosuke Umemiya, have you seen him around?"

Rio looked up surprised to find Hao staring at him with a careless smirk and amusement covering his face. "Hao!"

"Hey Rio. How are you doing?"

"Hao Asakura! What are you doing here?" Rio exclaimed, a smile appearing on his face.

"I was looking for you. I went over to your auto shop only to find out that you opened a restaurant, so I came to visit." He leaned in. "What made you decide to open up a restaurant?"

Rio grinned mischieviously. "Long story. Let me finish this up first. I'll be back." He left to give a person their drink and then motioned someone to take over for him. He headed back to Hao and faced him. "Sorry about that."

Hao waved it off. "Don't worry. Business is looking good. Really good."

Rio laughed and scratched his head. "Yeah. it's all thanks to Manta. He's been managing it pretty well. He's pretty much in charge of everything. Manta hired a few students and since then it's been a busy place. I say he's got a keen eye for things. They are all pretty talented too. They help out on the entertainment as well, for now anyways, until we can get a few local bands to play."

"Seriously?" Hao asked.

"Yeah." Rio pointed at the small stage they had. Hao turned his chair to look. "They're pretty nice. I like them alot. Manta's too good with this stuff."

Hao's heart skipped a little. On stage was none other than Sumi playing the piano with the crowd watching her. He rubbed his temple. _Why is she everywhere?_

"I think she's pretty cute. A lot of people ask for her when they come and she gets a lot of tips. Actually a lot of our employees get pretty good tips, they're all not so bad looking either." Rio stated, looking at Hao. "Have you fallen for her already?" He joked.

Hao turned back giving Rio a look. "No. I just know her."

It was a different reaction than what he expected, but he didn't say anything. Rio chortled and looked back over to her. She had finished playing and now making her way off the stage.

-

"Um, excuse me. Sumi Mitsuki?"

Sumi turned to see a very pretty girl, looking at her nervously. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering..." She paused. "Um, are you Ren Tao's girlfriend?"

Sumi raised her eyebrow and scratched her head. She didn't look like one of his fangirls. "Actually, we're just friends." She smiled.

"Oh..." The girl rubbed her hands nervously, feeling embarrassed. "M-may I ask how is he doing?"

"He's doing pretty well. Why?"

"I-I'm just wondering... It's because I used to know him." She bowed to her. "Thanks."

Sumi watched her turn to leave and her eyes became worried when she saw the side of her face. There was a noticeable bruise, but it looked as if it was hastily covered in makeup. She watched the girl return to her table and a guy wrapped an arm around her. "Yuna. Where did you go?"

"Oh. I went to tell the waitress that performed that she was pretty."

"Oh... Is that so?" The man beside her turned to look at Sumi with an interested look.

Sumi quickly averted her gaze and headed towards the tables to resume her job, awkward that she was caught staring at them. _That girl..._ She stole a side glance back at the table. The guy was still watching her and it startled her for some odd reason. Thus this resulted in... her collision with her co-worker.

"Ahh!" The girl screamed when the plates of food dropped to the floor, shattering around them as both girls fell to the ground.

Sumi felt a sharp pain in the palm of her hand and a pinch on her calf when she landed backwards. Wincing, she looked at the other girl to make sure she was alright. She was surprised to Hao standing there, who had caught the girl to keep her falling on the shattered tableware. "Are you alright?" He asked the girl in his arms.

The girl blushed madly and nodded. He helped her to a standing position and looked over to Sumi.

The plate had cut her leg when she landed and in the palm of her hand was a piece wedged in. She pursed her lips and tried to push herself to a standing position. Hao sighed and went over to scooped her up into his arms. "Stupid. What do you think your doing?"

Thrown off once again, she looked down dejected.

Ryo rushed over. "Are you guys okay?"

The girl standing up was still pink, but nodded. "I'm okay."

Sumi nodded as well and Hao rolled his eyes. "No, she isn't. What are you doing here Ryo?"

"I work here." Ryo stated as he put his hands on his hips. "What are you doing here?"

"I was visiting my friend. Where's the first aid?" Hao asked.

A hand went on Hao's shoulder. "In the back room. Go make sure she's okay." Rio stood behind him and indicated the other two to help him clean the mess.

Hao nodded and headed towards the back, but before eyeing the table where Yuna was sitting. He placed her down on the bench by the lockers and went to the side of the wall to grab the first aid kit. He knelt by her leg and began cleaning her wound.

It stung and Sumi jolted. "I'm sorry. It's okay. I'll do it myself." She reached for the supplies.

Hao pushed them away from her. "Sure, sure. Even though I don't know you that well. I know you well enough that you lie too much. Now just hold still." He continued wiping the cut on her calf and blowing on it.

She was biting her lip and clenching her free fist until he was done wrapping it. "Now see it wasn't that bad right?" Hao tightened the binding and looked at her face. Shaking his head at her expression, he reached for her hand. "Give me your hand."

Sumi's eyes grew wide and pulled it away from him. "No. It's okay!" She stood up scared.

"Hey! What do you think your doing? What? You want to leave it in there?" Hao said frustrated.

"No. I'll take it out myself."

"You're going to leave it in there aren't you? Quit it and let me take it out." Hao walked towards her. "Stop being so stubborn!"

She backed away and he quickly grabbed her arm. "Come over here. Do you want me to take you to the hospital then?"

Sumi shook her head furiously.

"Okay then. I'll do it." He pushed her back down on the bench and kneeled in front of her, looking at her hand. Getting tweezers, he pulled the piece of the plate out of her hand and blood gushed out rapidly. "Damn." He quickly grabbed a wet towel and pressed against it. Then after cleaning the blood around her wound, he wrapped it tightly. "There you go."

"Thanks Hao." She let out a relieved breath that she was holding.

"No problem. Hey. You finally said my name." He smirked. "Why are you here anyways? Why are you working? I'm pretty sure that you don't need it."

"I..." There was a moment of silence. "Can you please not tell anyone? Please?"

He hesitated then nodded. "Remember what I said about me not always being there to save you? You have to take care of yourself better." He stood up and turned to see Manta before she could respond.

"Hao Asakura! What are you doing here?" The little short boy exclaimed.

"I was visiting you and Rio and became a hero in the process." Hao grinned and patted Manta's head.

Manta swat away his hand. "Cocky as always." He looked at Sumi. "Are you okay Sumi?"

Sumi jumped up and bowed. "I'm doing okay. I'm sorry about the dishes and the food."

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it. As long as you aren't hurt really bad." Manta smiled.

His smile was returned back to him. "Thank you."

"You can go home early if you like Sumi. Go rest up."

"I'll stay. It'll be okay." Sumi bowed and walked out to go back to work.

Hao looked at Manta. "Is there something wrong with her?"

Manta laughed and walked out with Hao following behind him.

A while later, Hao was sitting at the bar chatting away and eating with Rio and Manta, but he kept his eyes watching the table that Yuna was at. He saw them get up and Hao turned to his friends. "I gotta run guys. I'll see you guys again."

"Alright. Take care my friend." Rio waved as well as Manta as Hao headed towards the exit.

One of the waitresses stopped right in front of him blushing. "Ah, thank you for saving me." She bowed.

"Oh no problem." He hastily answered. "Sorry I'm in a rush." He brushed past her without waiting for an answer and went after the group that Yuna was in.

He ran outside and looked on the sidewalk to see them strolling away. Running after them, he shouted. "Yuna!" He stopped a few feet behind them as they turned around.

Yuna looked back to see Hao and looked away.

"Why are you here? Why did you come back?" Hao spat out. _Ren would not want to see you._

She didn't answer, but continued looking at the floor.

The guy beside her glared at him. "You're the guy who kept watching us the whole time." He turned to Yuna. "Who is this? Do you know him?"

She looked up at him. "...No..."

**Slap!** "Don't you dare lie to me!" He shouted angrily with his hand raised and her crouching on the floor with a hand to her cheek.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Hao sprinted forward, but was stopped by two people blocking his path.

He shoved them. "Get out of my way!"

They pushed him back. Two against one gave him the disadvantage. "Who are you? What is your relationship with her?" The guy pointed threateningly at him. "Are you her friend? Secret lover?"

"Hell no. I hate those type of girls." Hao attempted to push past them again.

"Then why should you care what happens to her?" He pulled her up.

Hao hissed. "Because I hate the type of guys that are like you." He kicked the two guys in the face and sprinted forward to connect his fist to the guy's jaw, sending him tumbling backwards. "It disgusts me. Are you that weak that you have to hit a woman?"

The guy touched his face and rubbed it with a smug look. "I know who you are now..." He chortled. "You are that rich pretty boy everyone's been talking about. Why don't you come out more often? ...Hao Asakura..." He taunted.

"Watch out!" Yuna cried out and Hao turned around to see the two guys with weapons running towards him.

Hao dodged when one of them swung a bat at him and kneed him, causing him to kneel over. The other one had managed to connect a plank of wood across his back, but he punched him, perhaps breaking his nose. His hand was throbbing and his back was stinging like crazy. Quick footsteps was heard behind him and he turned to see the man about smash him to the ground. But somehow, a shadow had slipped in between them and elbowed him, sending him flying.

_Keigo?_ Hao grabbed his back and stood up straight.

Keigo stood before him with his back facing him. He crossed his arms giving the other guy an arrogant look. "That was unfair. Three against one? What are you guys sissies?"

The guy stood up and smirked with confidence. "Caught me off guard Keigo Akiyama. You should know me. I don't play fair." A dark onimous expression covered his face. "You should also know we aren't sissies." He cracked his knuckles. "You and that pretty boy over there will face what's its like to cross paths with us. It'll teach you guys not to butt into other people's business. A lesson you won't forget."

Before anything else could happen, sirens were heard and the guy growled as he quickly looked around. He grabbed Yuna and motioned the other two guys to follow him. "Keigo, Hao. I'll see you in the streets. It's not the end. I will not be humiliated by you." With that, they scrambled away.

Keigo made a face. "Sure..." He turned to Hao. "Laters."

Hao glared after Keigo then made his own disappearance. _Dammit. I'm not going to lose to you._ What was Keigo doing there at that hour? He didn't know, but didn't care as well. _I don't want to owe him anything._ As for the other guy, he had no idea who the hell he was. And threatening him. What was that all about? It didn't look like he was friends with Keigo either. And Yuna just looked like she was completely under his control. _Was that the same guy that Yuna was with when she was with Ren?_ _What was she doing back anyways? She definitely said 'I'm never coming back here so don't worry about seeing me again.' _He didn't really care about Yuna at all and he pretty much hated her guts for making Ren miserable when she left, but he couldn't stand watching a guy abuse a girl like that. And what the hell? _How in world did he know who the hell I was?_ It can't be a good sign. Not at all. _Shit... My life just turned upside down in a single day..._

--;)

Sumi reached up and pulled herself up with one arm wrapped around a vine. _Dude, this is hard with one hand._ She breathed heavily as she dragged herself up the side of her house to the window. She slipped and she quickly reached out to try to grab onto a vine, but she missed. And downward she fell. "Oof!" Sumi had landed in the bush, and with a relieved breath, she got up and climbed again. Almost to the top, she slipped again, but thankfully her arm was wrapped around a vine so she didn't fall. She hurried up the rest of the wall and slipped into her room. Wanting to throw herself on her bed, but deciding against it, she slipped into the shower.

Not only was climbing the wall difficult with one hand, but so was showering. When she finally got out, she hopped onto her bed happily. She grabbed one of her stuff animals and hugged it. Then she pulled it away staring at it. _Oh yeah... Hao stole one of my stuff animals..._ Shrugging, she went under her sheets and closed her eyes. _Lyserg's right... He's much nicer than I thought..._ _He really did help me... I have to thank him properly... _She quickly drifted to sleep, too tired to think much about anything.

--;)

_"Hey Ren! Let's go play some B-ball!" Yoh grabbed the Ren's shoulder and turned him around._

_Before him was not Ren, but Anna. "Huh? Anna? What are you doing here?"_

_HoroHoro, Lyserg, and Hao all turned to face him. And all of them had Anna's face. "EH?"_

_Everyone surrounding him all wore Anna's face, even the little rabbits hopping by and Yoh's eyes shrunk to dots as everyone surrounding him did not look themselves, but the girl he admired._

_He sat down with a hamburger on a bench that had somehow magically appeared and lifted it towards his face, ready to take a bite out of it. _

_"Don't eat me Yoh!"_

_He looked down with his mouth still hanging open to see Anna's face looking back at him. "Ahh!"_

"Ahh!" Yoh sat up in bed, eyes wide. He rubbed his head with a heavy sigh. _I gotta lay off those cakes at Ren's. Dreams like these aren't normal..._

--;)

The beginning of the next day wasn't so great. Hao woke up late and rushed to school, despite his throbbing back. He entered his first period math class with it half way over and thus recieved a warning from his teacher about being late. He had just shrugged it off and collapsed into his seat. He looked around to see Yoh, Pirika, and Liz giving him a questioning glance. He had locked the door the night before, so Yoh couldn't get in this morning to wake him up despite Yoh's pounding and his constant ringing of his cellphone. Liz looked at him really worried and she mouthed if he was alright. He smiled and nodded then continue to look around the room. He spotted Keigo and he stared at him.

Keigo stared up from his notes, caught his stare, and smirked at him, then returned to the paper on his desk with a demur expression.

His blood boiled at Keigo's reaction and faced the front with a sour look. Yoh, Liz, and Pirika were watching him so when all of them faced the front they felt confused and puzzled at Hao's behavior.

Time passed and Hao found himself in sitting his second period english waiting for class to start and annoyed that he didn't get a chance to talk to Yoh alone. He wanted to tell him what happened last night and what possibilities that can occur. What added more to his annoyance was that Keigo was talking to Sumi and giving him haughty looks every once in awhile. He could feel the stares of his friends, as they were glancing at him curiously which made him feel like a zoo animal. _There is a possibility that if I saw her last night... that soon... she might also come to school... I have to warn Yoh..._

Liz just continued with her worrying as she stole glances at her own boyfriend, noting that he was not in a very good mood._ What's wrong Hao? Talk to me..._

"Sumi. What happened to your hand?" Keigo had asked and she had immediately hid her hand behind her back without thinking.

_Uh... He had already seen it..._ She brought it back in front of her and smiled bashfully. "A plate cut my hand. It's okay. It's my fault."

He raised an eyebrow looking at her sympathetically. "What about the scratches on your face?"

"What scratches?"

He reached out and touched her cheek. "Right here. Does it hurt?"

"Oh... no..." Sumi paused and touched her face. "They're probably from when I fell into the bush."

Keigo sweatdropped and chuckled, taking back his hand. "You should take care of yourself better."

She shrugged. "I try. You should take care of yourself as well."

"I do. A lot better than you."

Their English teacher, Hikari Hamasuki then walked in and everyone faced the front. "Good morning class." The class chorused back to her, reapeating what she said. "Today, a student who used to attend this school is returning. We will welcome her warmly."

Hao stared at the teacher in shock. _It better not be what I think it is... Aw... Hell..._

Yoh, HoroHoro, and Lyserg were watching Hao and seeing his expressions, they all shared a concerned look. _Something is happening..._

Ren was staring at Hao, trying to figure out what was going on with him. _This arrange marriage thing can't really make him go all crazy can he? Anna isn't really a bad person..._ He heard what Ms. Hamasuki said and thought for a second, glancing at Hao. The color had drained from Hao's face and Ren looked at the teacher curiously. _Who could it be? The only person I remember leaving this school was..._

"Please enter."

And then Yuna walked in.

_Shit..._ Hao thought.

Ren felt his heart stopped for a minute and he stopped breathing for a second, holding his breath as he fell out of his chair. All eyes flew to him, but a milisecond later, HoroHoro had jumped out of his seat and pointed at Yuna accusingly, voice dripping with hatred. "YOU!" All eyes flew to him now and was surprised at his sudden shout. Murmurs began to fill the room along with a few giggles.

Lyserg grabbed HoroHoro's shirt and pulled him back down in front of him, but HoroHoro jumped up again. Slamming his hands onto his desk, he bellowed. "I thought you weren't coming back. EVER!" He emphasized the last word very strongly.

Lyserg now stood up and placed both hand on his shoulders, shoving HoroHoro roughly back into his seat. "We are in class!" He whispered harshly.

HoroHoro breathed and licked his lips, nodding. _I forgot... _

"Horokeu Usui! That was very rude of you. Apologize!" Ms. Hamasuki ordered.

"Sorry." HoroHoro winced and mumbled. _She used my real name..._

"I can't hear you. Horokeu Usui please spe-"

"It's okay Ms. Hamasuki. I understand his feelings. It won't bother me at all." She smiled brightly at the teacher.

The teacher smiled back at her. "Okay then, please introduce yourself."

She nodded and faced the class with a bow. "My name is Yuna Wakita. Pleasure to meet all of you. I hope I can get aquainted with all of you and be good friends."

Murmurs in the classroom started up again and Liz glanced around. _What are they whispering about?_

Sumi looked at the girl. _That's the girl I met yesterday... She seems more confident and really different from her personality she had yesterday..._

Keigo turned around to look at her. He smiled and leaned close to whisper. "That's Ren's ex-girlfriend. You should worry since you're his girlfriend now."

An image of Ren's painful face appeared in her mind. _I wonder if Ren is okay right now..._ "I'm not his girlfriend." Sumi said simply.

Keigo leaned back. "I already knew. Just wanted to hear you say it." He turned back and faced the front.

_Was it that obvious?_ Sumi closed her eyes. _I hope you're doing okay Ren._

"You can sit here." The teacher pointed at the seat beside Keigo. "He's not here today so you can take his seat for now."

Yuna nodded and flashed Keigo a smile as she sat next to him. "Hi!"

He grunted in response and slumped himself across his desk.

"You probably didn't notice me, but I saw you yesterday." She attempted to talk to him.

"Oh." He closed his eyes and buried his face in his arms. _Girls with ulterior motives..._

"It probably didn't leave a good impression of me for you. So maybe we can pretend that this is the first time we meet again. Lets disregard the previous years when I saw you around in school. That doesn't really count because I never talked to you."

Keigo grunted again into his arms.

Sumi watched them from behind and wondered what made her act so different. _Could it be that guy she was with? He did look kind of scary..._ She pondered, but her thoughts were interrupted when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over and met blue eyes. It was Toshiro... or was it Takuya... She wasn't exactly sure because she didn't know them that well yet and distinguishing them was rather difficult.

"Er... Sumi. Do something about that." Toshiro... or Takuya... pointed at Keigo and Yuna.

"Hmm? Do what? What do you want me to do?"

"Dur. Talk to him or something. Keigo only feels comfortable talking to a selected few girls. The rest... all he does is grunt to them. " The other twin whispered.

Sumi did notice that all Keigo's response was some weird noise and it was a rather funny scene... to her anyways. She giggled and made no move to stop their conversation, giving Toshiro and Takuya an apologetic shrug.

At the back of the classroom, Ren was staring off, unable to focus. _What is she doing here? Why is she back?_ _Did Hao know about this?_ So many questions ran through Ren's mind that it was driving him a bit crazy. His heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was humming inside his chest. _What is going to happen now?_

_I'm not ready to see her yet..._

--;)

Jeanne was so stunned when she heard from Anna her secret. In a way though, she was a bit jealous of Anna. A lot of girls would just die to be in Anna's place. Hao was rich, smart, and handsome. The perfect dream guy. It's not easy to just get the chance to talk to him. And here Anna has the opportunity right in front of her and all she wants is to throw it away. For her, she would have to try so hard just to get noticed by them. Life just wasn't fair.

She was sitting in her math class now staring at Lyserg's backside a few rows before her. _What I would give for you to notice me..._ She sat up determined. _I'm going to do whatever it takes for you to see me despite those fangirls. You're worth it._

Lyserg sat in the front, trying to pay attention, but his thoughts kept drifting to Hao's reaction. _So he knew..._ Now what were they going to do? He knew that HoroHoro might do something brash, so the main issue is to keep HoroHoro under control first. It isn't helping Ren. _Maybe I should tell Jun to talk to Ren..._ It didn't sound like a good idea to him either. _I think I'll just let things be... and see how it turns out..._

HoroHoro was trying to think of a solution to how to torture Yuna. _Perhaps throwing her into a snake pit would be good..._ _Or or pouring green slime all over her... or even burying her with worms..._"Hehe..."

_Yes... Stopping HoroHoro from thinking up weird ideas is priority..._ Lyserg watched HoroHoro from the corner of his eyes and nodding to himself. _His ideas aren't good at all..._

--;)

"Hey there Anna."

Anna turned to see Yoh strolling beside her with his lopsided grin.

"How's it going?"

"Oh you know, just about the same. Fighting off evil supervillians, destroying whatevers in my path, and planning to blow up the villian's headquarters." Her voice became more serious. "What do you want Yoh?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to see you." He grinned.

"Is that all?" Many pairs of eyes were watching her as she walked down the hallway. "Well, you saw me. You can go now."

"Aww Anna. Remember what I said about trying to be friends? Don't brush me off..." He pouted.

_What is this?_ "Has someone possessed you or something? That was totally not normal." The corners of her lips curved up.

"Anna!"

She gave a careless glance back to see Jeanne waving her hands and running to catch up to her. Eyes were watching her and a foot somehow slipped out and sent Jeanne tumbling towards the ground.

HoroHoro grabbed her waist and pulled her upright. "Are you okay?" He said gently and glared at the girls around them. They scattered quickly, pretending not to notice.

"Yeah. Thanks HoroHoro." Jeanne gave a bright smile and looked towards Anna, bouncing over to her. "Annnnaaa!"

"Are you alright Jeanne?"

"Yeah, of course." She answered merrily. "I have something I want to show you!"

"But- but you..." Anna managed before Jeanne grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away, leaving HoroHoro and Yoh watching them confused.

--;)

They stopped under a tree and Jeanne twirled around happily. Anna was bewildered at Jeanne's personality at the moment."Uh..."

She halted and faced Anna with the biggest smile she had ever seen. "Anna!"

"Yes?"

"Elly said that Millie said that Lily said that Sally said that Sharon said that if you twirl the stem of an apple and say the alphabet, when it breaks off it will stop at the initial of you future lover's." Jeanne shared joyfully.

Anna gave a perplexed look. "Superstitions Jeanne..."

"But I believe it! They also told me another one that if I peel an apple in a single strip, I should swing it over my head three times with my right hand and throw it over my shoulder and when it lands it will take on the letter of my lover's name." She clasped her hands together. "I tried both and both stopped at L!"

"..." Anna didn't say anything.

"That means perhaps Lyserg and I can be together!" She squealed in happiness. "Anna, you should try it!"

She waved her hand. "I don't believe those things. I rather not."

"Come on Anna! Try!" Jeanne pleaded. "It could determine your future!"

"I don't want to worry about that stuff at this moment."

"But Anna! It won't hurt!"

After a few more minutes of begging Anna gave in. "Fine! I'll show you that you're stupid fruit theory doesn't work."

"Okay! Let's go after school to get some apples!"

"Fine. Fine. Whatevers."

--;)

_Anna twirled around with flowers flying all around her. She was laughing joyously as she lifted her face looking at the sky. The breeze spun the flower petals making it seem as if they were dancing around her. A voice called out to her and she turned with her hair flying around her loosely. A bright smile appeared on her face as she ran joyfully into the other person's arms. Throwing her arms around the person neck, she was lifted and she leaned close to the other person's face..._

Anna sat upright, jolting out of her nap, with her face flushing red. _A nightmare... It's just a nightmare..._

"Anna, are you alright?"

Her head snapped over and she gave out a cry. "Ahh!" Quickly realizing that she was screaming, she covered her mouth, breathing harshly.

A stunned look appeared on Yoh's face as he watched her with concern. "That's a first. Should I call the nurse?"

Anna shook her head and placed her hands on her cheeks, pulling them down. She could feel herself turning hotter as she tried to hide it by beginning to slap her cheeks. "Ah, I just had a nightmare..."

"But you're blushing red." Yoh stated the obvious.

"No I'm not!" Anna responded hastily and glared.

A happy Yoh grinned. "Were you dreaming about me?"

"Hell no! You wish!" Anna shot back, but for some reason she couldn't hold back as her face flushed again. _An image of Yoh's merry face flashed in her head, leaning close to her._

"Ah, I see." Yoh handed her a cup of water. "Here drink this."

She took it and gulped it down, gratefully. "Thanks." She said as she handed back the cup. She looked around and finally realized where she was. The Nurse's Office. _Why was she here again?_

"Are you feeling better now? When you collapsed on the track, it scared the hell outta me. The nurse said that you had heat exhaustion. Don't push yourself Anna." Yoh looked at her worried.

_Oh right..._ Everything that happened suddenly came back to her. She was running on the track and Yoh was tagging along. She had wanted to lose him by shaking him off or by running until he was exhausted, but she didn't expect herself to black out in the process. Letting out a breath of air, she replied. "I'm fine Yoh."

The nursed walked in with a towel. "Feeling better Anna?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Anna nodded.

"That's good. You know, when Yoh ran in here carrying you in his arms, I thought it was the end of the world or something. He was all frantic and worried about you! But it looked so heroic!" She clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. "I want a boyfriend who would do something like that for me."

Anna sweatdropped and stole a glance at Yoh, who was beat red. "Ah! I think I should go back to class now." Yoh stood up, embarassed. "Would you mind writing me a pass?"

"Ah!" The nurse stood up. "Of course! Anything for the hero." She teased and walked out the curtain that separated her and the rest of the office.

Yoh followed her and stopped right before he walked through the curtain. He looked back at her and grinned, despite his red face. "I'll see you in class Anna." Then he left.

Anna stuck out her tongue at the spot where Yoh once stood and looked back down at the sheets. For a moment, she felt angry and embarassed that she had collasped in front of Yoh, showing her that she was weak, but a little bubble of happiness had somewhat surfaced. She smiled secretly to herself and looked out the window. _What has this world become? Great..._

--;)

"Here you go Anna..."

She looked up from her locker to see Jeanne giving her an apple. "Huh?"

"I figured you should rest, so you don't have to go to the store with me. Hope you're feeling better. And... test your luck with Yoh. He may be the one that saves you from Hao..." Jeanne managed a smile. _Both are so good though... I really envy you Anna..._ Taking her hand, she put the apple into hers.

"But I-" _I don't believe in this stuff..._ Anna hestitated. _I guess it wouldn't hurt..._ "Thanks Jeanne." She nodded.

"No problem!" Jeanne adjusted her backpack. "I have to go home now, so I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved as she began to walk off.

"Bye!" Anna waved after her and looked at the apple in her hand. Shrugging, she began twisting the stem, naming the letters in the alphabet. "...W...X...Y...Z..." She stopped. "Eh..." She had finished the whole alphabet and the stem was still attached. _See... this is why I don't believe in this stuff... Maybe I should start again... _

Anna sighed and twisted the stem. "A."

It fell off and Anna's eyes shrunk to dots. "..." _What is this suppose to mean then..._ She stared at the apple in her hand and the stem in the other. _This is stupid... What am I doing?_

The apple was snatched out of her hands and the person took a bite out of it. "Is the apple that interesting that you have to keep staring at it?"

Anna's dark aura exploded around her when she found herself staring into the eyes of Mika, the girl that was giving Sumi trouble a few days earlier. Deciding to ignore her, she turned to her locker.

A hand pushed her, throwing her off balance. **VRooooom!** Anna's anger meter rose to the max instantly and she growled at them. "What do you want?"

"What do you think?" Mika stuck up her nose and two other girls as well as herself began to close in on her.

Anna smirked. "If it's a fight you want, then bring it." Her fists went up in a defensive position and Anna swung her leg without any hestitation. Luckily, a person intercepted her kick otherwise Anna would have gave Mika a few broken ribs. "Let me go."

The person had shoved Mika backwards causing her to fall into the other two girls and caught Anna's leg in midswing. "Well, I didn't want the Hulk emerging so stopping the process of transformation is only natural."

Anna scowled. "Keigo. You. Are. So. Dead." She swung her arms and Keigo had to release her leg in order to block her punch.

Flipping backwards, he landed a few feet away from her. He stood up with an amused expression as he brushed himself off.

Mika and the two other girls were sighing and oogling at him with hearts in their eyes. "Wow..." They were piling on top of each other and holding each other tightly.

"Anna!" Yoh suddenly appeared running towards them and the girls silently squealed to themselves as Yoh approached them. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." She answered sharply, eyes filled with anger glaring at Keigo.

Keigo began clapping his hands. "There is never a dull day with the Asakuras around. You guys make the world go round." With that, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked off, out of the scene.

Yoh stared after with a thoughtful expression, then turned to the girls. They seemed to suddenly realize that Yoh can see them and they looked at each other. Yoh opened his mouth about to say something, but they already disappeared.

He then turned to Anna. "It's okay Anna. At least you're not hurt."

"I wouldn't be hurt anyways! I just missed the perfect opportunity to teach those girls not to mess with me!" Anna shouted and huffed, crossing her arms.

Yoh placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Right, but good thing Keigo stopped you otherwise you have gotten detention or suspended."

_Count on Yoh to think logically..._ "Hmph!" Anna was still a bit angry, but what Yoh said made sense. She didn't want to get suspended.

Yoh spotted a bitten apple lying on the floor and walked over to pick it up. Holding the apple in his hand, he stood up asking. "What were you doing with the apple anyways?" He looked at her. "I was trying to figure out why you were spinning the stem."

Anna once again couldn't hold back her blushing. _Why am I blushing? Arg!_ "None of your business!" She turned away and faced her locker.

Yoh began chuckling and head over towards her. _She's blushing... Cute..._

Anna slammed her locker shut and faced Yoh. She pointed at him threateningly. "Ask any more and you'll never see another day." She walked past him, angry at herself for turning red so much in just a few hours.

Yoh couldn't help smiling and ran after her. _She's showing her emotions more to me. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..._

_--_

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.


	10. Chapter 10

.: So This is How it is:.

Jeanne's face was grim as Lyserg ignored her and kept walking. She had stopped and stared after him. _Now I do feel like a fan girl trying to get his attention..._ She had ran up to him trying to talk to him, but he barely gave her a glance and simply said that he was busy as he brushed past her.

Red eyes appeared around her as she watched herself become surrounded by his fangirls with cross looks. _Great... Just great... _

--

Anna opened her book and looked down into it. She then leaned onto her elbows and stared out through her window. A flashback of her dream in the nurse's office reappeared in her head. Shaking her head to rid the thoughts, she said to herself out loud. "It was a nightmare. I can't believe that I think like this now."

_Seriously... What am I doing?_

She flipped opened her notebook and a note dropped out, falling to the ground. Anna wrinkled her brow and bent over to pick it up. She held it up and read it.

We are shaped by what we love.

_We are shaped by what we love? Sounds like it came from a book. Hm..._ She shrugged and turned a page in her notebook. Her eyes caught a doodle on what use to be a blank page. There was a drawing of a girl, which she suppose that was her, holding onto a bunny with a bow around its neck and underneath her was a boy holding an orange. Anna couldn't help but smile at the picture. It was a cute attempt she had to admit.

_Did Yoh do this? When did he get a chance to take my notebook?_ She pondered and tried to remember when she left her notebook open to be attacked. A lightbulb went off in her head. Perhaps when she was asleep in the nurse's office... _Who gave him permission to go through my things? _Anna pursed her lips and looked at the picture. Her facial features relaxed and she let her shoulders hang down. _Oh well..._

--

Ren stared at his book, annoyed. He couldn't concentrate. Frustrated, he rubbed his head angrily then stood up and grabbed his jacket. _I need fresh air. _He grabbed his keys and walked out the door.

_Yuna, what are you doing back? You hurt me so much and yet you can still come back acting like nothing happened._

After a couple minutes of driving he found himself calling Hao.

"Hey Ren, what's up?"

"Hao. I need to talk to you." Ren stated.

"Um, sure. Let me just drop Liz off and we can meet somewhere. Where do you want to meet at?"

Ren glanced around at his surroundings. He spotted the new restaurant. "How about the restaurant Happiness?"

"Let's meet somewhere else. Anywhere else is fine, just not there."

"Why not?" Ren looked at the restaurant curiously and pulled over.

"Can't say right now."

"Alright then." Ren looked across the street to the yogurt place. "Let's meet at Go Berry then."

There was hesitation and then Hao answered. "Okay, I'll meet you there in five. Order something first."

"Alright. Laters."

Ren hung up and looked at the restaurant sign, then crossed the street and entered the frozen yogurt store, finding himself a seat.

In exactly five minutes, Hao arrived and dropped himself into a seat across from Ren. "Hey Ren."

A couple of girls ordering yogurt were squealing quietly to each other as they gave them small glances.

Ren ignored them and greeted Hao. "Hey. How's it going?"

"Alright." He leaned forward on the table and plucked a fruit off of Ren's yogurt and threw it into his mouth. "I just dropped Liz off at home."

"My bad. Did I bother you?" Ren asked.

"Nah. We weren't doing anything anyways." Hao leaned back against his chair. "So what's up Ren?"

Ren looked at Hao curiously. "I just wanted to know. What was up with that expression before Yuna came in? Did you know that she was in town?"

_I expected this..._ Hao scratched his head and sighed. "I bumped into her the night before. It surprised me. So I didn't know how to react in school when I realized that there was a possibility that we could see her. Sorry Ren."

He sighed. "Don't worry about it Hao. I just don't know how to react to this either. What am I suppose to do? I never really got over her completely..."

"Don't do anything. I don't recommend going after her again. She isn't wo-" Hao stopped when Ren wasn't paying attention to him anymore and had stood up, looking through the glass window, across the street. "Hey..." Hao looked through the window and saw Yuna and the three guys once again. _Damn it... I knew it was a bad idea..._ He hastily turned back to Ren, but to see him no longer standing there. He looked towards the exit and saw him making his way across the street. _What are you going to do?_

Hao ran out after him across the street and grabbed Ren's shoulder before he reached the door of the restaurant. "Ren, what are you doing?"

Ren looked at Hao, without showing emotion, but Hao could see how painful his eyes were. "Nothing. I'm just going to watch them." He pulled his cellphone out and looked at the time. "It's 7:30. Time to eat anyways." Ren walked towards the door and entered, leaving Hao to only follow him.

Ren entered the restaurant and a waitress greeted him. "Welcome to Happiness. How many people today?" His eyes quickly searched for Yuna, looking around.

Hao appeared behind him and held up two fingers. "There's two of us."

She bowed and nodded. "Follow me."

"Can we sit over there?" Ren pointed to a table, that was wasn't very far from Yuna, but a good spot to watch them and not be noticed.

"Uh, certainly." She smiled and walked them over to the table. "Someone will be with you shortly."

Ren and Hao sat down with Ren eyeing Yuna and the man.

"So you're going to spy on them?" Hao asked casually and rubbed his head as he looked through the menu. "Hmm... this looks good..."

"Yeah... and eat..." Ren skimmed through the menu, looking over at them once in awhile.

"So what would you like to order today?" A voice asked and they looked up.

"Ryo? What are you doing here?" Ren asked surprised.

Ryo gave a look over to Hao, who was still looking through the menu. _So he never said anything to his friends about us working here..._ "I work here." Ryo said bluntly. "Are you ready to order?" He eyed Ren.

"I'll have the Spicy Meat Spaghetti." Hao stated and closed his menu, putting it off on the side.

Ren then quickly looked down into his menu. "And I'll have the Eastern Shrimp Chicken." Closing it, he handed it to Ryo, who was scribbling into a pad.

"Anything to drink?"

"Strawberry Lemonade." Hao glanced over to Yuna's table. _I suppose sticking with Ren right now is fine... I want to know who that guy is and how he knows who I am..._

"Mango slush."

"I'll be back with you're drinks then." Ryo informed and took the menus, giving Ren a glance.

Hao rubbed his nose. "Looks like Ryo was doggin' you. What did you do to him?"

Ren shrugged. "Nothing. It's been like that ever since I met him. I thought he was just like that." His eyes flew back to the table, keeping watch.

Sumi approached the table and bowed and Ren was thrown off. "Sumi works here too?" Ren glance at Hao and he also looked over.

For some reason, Hao felt tense watching them.

--

Sumi bowed. "Um, I'm sorry, but are you unsatisfied with the other waitress's service? We will try our best to satisfy our customer's needs. If there's anything we can do to help, you can just ask any of us and we'll see what we can do."

The man beside Yuna smiled. "I would like you to be our waitress from now on."

"Uh... May I ask if you had a problem with the previous waitress?"

"No, I just want you to be our waitress." The man said once again.

Sumi hesitated. "I'm working 7 tables right now. I'm not sure if I can... Perhaps another person could serve you..."

"I'm not going to let anyone take my order unless it's you." He smirked. "I thought you will try your best to satisfy your customer's needs, so this is what I want."

"But..." Sumi bowed, pausing to think. Deciding that she was wasting time, she decided to just do what he asked. "Okay. I'll do my best..." She pulled out her notebook and asked. "What would you like to have today?"

And starting after that, work became really hectic for her as she hastily hurried back and forth to all the tables, trying to satisfy them.

Ryo had tried to help her by trying to get what one of the tables needs, but they had shooed him away, telling him that they only wanted Sumi. Ryo realized that all the tables that Sumi had were mainly guys. He sighed and leaned against one of the counters beside another waitress. "I guess they all really want to overwork her."

"Yeah, I tried taking some of the tables, but they only requested Sumi. How selfish. They do realized that they are tiring her out right?" The girl stated as she crossed her arms watching Sumi run back and forth. "Don't tell me that they don't see her helping other tables."

"Watching her makes me tired." Ryo said and went back to work. His wasn't as bad as Sumi's, but they still kept him busy.

--

HoroHoro laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. He thought back to when he spotted Jeanne. She had desperately tried to get Lyserg's attention, but he had chosen to ignore her. He probably knew why as well.

Closing his eyes, rested his hand on his forehead. _Jeanne... You like Lyserg don't you? What you don't realize is that I'm like you..._ He rolled to lay on him stomach and dropped his face into his pillow. _So this is how it is..._

--

Yoh, dressed in black, tip-toed arcoss the hallway swiftly and bounced from corner to corner looking around to see if there was anyone who saw him. **Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.**__"Now before the snake can attack." He turned the doorknob slowly and peeked in.

"What are you? A ninja?" A voice behind him boomed in his ears and he jumped.

Yoh quickly spun around to see his grandfather staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "What is it that you need?" His grandfather asked.

"No... nothing." _Drat... I was caught..._ Yoh scratched his covered head and chuckled.

His grandfather looked at him curiously. "It too early for Halloween my dear grandson. What is with that ridiculous costume?"

Yoh laughed nervously. "Oh it's nothing grandfather. I'm just practicing. It's never too early. Okay now I'm off." He bounced away, leaving a stunned old man.

The old man smirked and chortled to himself. _I know what you're looking for, but I'm not going to just lay it lying around my dear grandson._

--

Pirika dropped herself into a chair and groaned. "I'm tired..."

"Yeah. I'll say." Tamao walked over to a glass object that was displayed in the shape of a blue flower. It was still very beautiful even though she had seen it so many times. "But what can we really do?"

"I don't know..." Pirika closed her eyes and rested her head.

Tamao put her finger on the glass window that protected the blue glass flower. "I always wondered... where did you get this?"

She peeked one eye opened to look at Tamao. "Oh... my brother gave that to me. He had it made especially for me. You know... sometimes he isn't very nice and always lectures me, but other times he's very caring and considerate. He's a dork."

"Oh..." Tamao had her eyes give the flower one last look and then went over to lie down on Pirika's bed. "Sometimes I wish I have a brother..."

Pirika smiled. "It's alright. There are ups and downs."

"Anyways... Are we really going to go through with this? I don't really want to Pirika..." Tamao's voice drifted.

Pirika's smile faded. "What choice do we have? We're pawns... We can't not do it even if we want to because we'll have to face them afterwards..."

Tamao looked at her best friend. _She's right..._ "I know..."

"Let's go out to refresh our minds yeah?" Pirika sat up and suggested.

"Okay. Maybe we can figure out what to do then." Tamao nodded and stood up, following Pirika as she walked out the door.

--

Anna yawned and stretched her arms. "Done." She closed her books and opened her window, breathing in the evening air. The sky only had a little tint of sunlight left and the moon already was shining brightly in the sky.

She peered outside and spotted a black car parked on the street. Her eyes lingered on it for a few seconds longer, before deciding to close her window just in case.

"Ms. Anna. Your dinner is ready." A voice came through her bedroom door and she turned to the door to answer back.

"Okay. I'll be down in a second." She heard the footsteps retreat down the stairs and she looked out her window once again. The black car was still there. Anna felt uneasy for some odd reason, but turned around to head towards her door.

--

After an hour of watching them, Hao was eating his dessert, glancing at Ren, who was watching them intensely out of the corner of his eyes. _He looks so hurt... It's painful just watching him... Why is he torturing himself?_

_Ren... Don't do this to yourself..._

Ren noticed that Yuna had spotted them and was staring over at them. He shifted his stare to his intertwined hands on the table. "This is the last time... " He whispered. _I'm going to let her go... Why am I waiting? How do I make this feeling stop?_

Hao rubbed his head and leaned towards Ren. "Are you okay?"

Ren look grimly at Hao. "Yeah." He gave a faint smile. "I'm trying to get over her."

Hao spotted Yuna looking over, just staring sadly at them. Ren turned his head and met Yuna's eyes, and they stared at each other. _They need to talk to each other..._

**Smash!** A plate broke on the table and a hand roughly pulled Yuna to a standing position, only for her cheek to feel a sharp painful sting and her to fall to the floor.

The restaurant went silent and Sumi, who was serving at a table nearby quickly rushed over, giving a quick bow. "Sir! I'm sorry, but you can't do that here."

He ignored her and pointed at Yuna threateningly, who was on the floor. "What do you think you're doing?" His voice thundered.

Yuna snapped her head back to him, looking up at him from her all too familar position. _Stop... Stop..._

He reached and grabbed her arm, pulling her back up. Sumi saw that he might hurt her again, rushed up to him and grabbed his arm. "I'm in no position to be involved, but on behalf of the customers I beg you to stop."

He turned to her and grabbed her hand off of his arm. "Don't interfere." He pushed her back and went back to face Yuna again.

Sumi staggered a few steps, then stopped staring at the man's back. _What should I do?_

A hand went on her shoulder and Hao appeared beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just fine." Sumi replied.

Ren pulled Yuna out of the man's grasp and stood between her and him, glaring. "You are not allowed to hit women."

The man glared back, and then raised his eyebrow. "This sounds familiar." He turned around and spotted Hao. "Ah... Hao Asakura is here as well..."

Hao kept his cool and asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm surprised you guys don't know me. Does Ikuto Matsumoto ring a bell?"

Hao stared blankly. _Ikuto Matsumoto... is it suppose to?_

Ren growled and grabbed Yuna, walking out of the restaurant.

"Hey! Where do you think you're-" The guy was stopped by Hao, who had grabbed his arm. He faced Hao with a deadly look. "What?" He hissed.

Hao smirked with a dark gaze. "Who are you to me?"

The two other guys grabbed Hao's arm and pulled him away from him. "Why don't you ask you're friend Keigo? He knows a lot."

_Keigo..._ Hao glared and pulled himself out of their grasp.

After brushing off his shirt, the man looked at his watch. "Oh, I'm running late. Ciao." He pulled out some cash and threw it onto the table. _That Yuna... _Anger crossed his face and he straightened himself out. He began walking towards the exit, but stopped in front of Sumi first and leaned close to her. "The extra is for you. I'll see you again." Smirking, he walked towards the exit with the two guys following him.

--

Ren stopped outside the next store, when Yuna spoke up. "Ren, what are you doing?"

_That's right... What am I doing?_ He released her hand and whirled around to face her. His serious face didn't show any emotion just a non-smiling blank look. "How can you let him do that to you?"

Yuna looked at the ground and clenched her hands together. "It's not like I want him to..." She said quietly then looked up at him, a sad expression covered her face. "I thought you never want to talk to me again..."

Sudden realization hit Ren and he just looked at her with his brow furrowing. "I just want to know why you are back especially since you said you weren't going to come back."

"That's cause Ikuto needs to deal with things back here... but... things changed between him and me..." Yuna stared at him. "And I realized I missed you..."

Ren didn't know what to say at that moment. What do you do when the person you liked leaves you for someone else, then comes back saying that they missed you? A painful feeling hit Ren and he looked away from her.

"I'm sorry Ren, but I wasn't planning on intentionally hurting you. I did it because Ikuto made me... but I didn't realized that I really fell in love with you until after... I couldn't betray Ikuto anyways... I owe him a lot..." Yuna tried to explain. "But... I still like you."

Ren felt so confused inside once again. _Why are you doing this to me? When I finally decided to let you go?_ He clenched his fists. "Yuna... listen... I-"

"Ren, I do still like you and my feelings never changed..." She grabbed his arm and looked at him with pleading eyes.

_What am I suppose to say to this?_ He shut his eyes then opened them and pulled his arm out of Yuna's grasp. "I'm sorry... but mine did..." He met Yuna's hurt eyes. His heart was pounding furiously. _Don't look like that... Please..._

Ren bit his bottom lip and turned away painfully. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he walked away, leaving her standing there looking after him. _I'm doing the right thing... I'm doing the right thing... I'm doing the right thing... _He repeated to himself, not looking back.

--

Yoh stood on the second floor window with binoculars looking outside. There was a suspicious looking black car parked outside the house with two people sitting inside, as if they were waiting for something.

"What are you doing now, this strange grandson of mine?" A familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Uhh... hi grandfather." Yoh answered with a chuckle and turned his head to look. He pointed to the window. "There is a car parked outside and they look suspicious. So I'm just checking on them."

"Oh... is that so?" His grandfather took the binoculars and looked outside. After a few seconds, he looked at Yoh with a raised eyebrow. "It looks like they are heading to Ms. Anna Kyoyama's house."

Yoh looked alarmed. "Are they?" He took the binoculars when his grandfather handed it back to him.

Facing the window, he looked outside worriedly. "Perhaps you should check on her and make sure she is alright."

"Good idea!" Yoh handed the object back to his grandfather without hesitation and sprinted downstairs, running out the door towards Anna's house.

Yohmei Asakura pondered at the appearance of the the black car and pursed his lips. _Yoh will be okay. He's strong._ With his hands behind his back, he watched Yoh exit their gate and made his way across the street.

--

Anna stood up to see her butler get pushed against the wall. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

The two guys that entered grinned broadly. "Why hello little lady. How are you doing today?"

She growled. _What am I suppose to do?_ "What do you want?"

Ignoring her, one of them dialed on his cellphone. "Sir, we're here... uh huh... got it..." He hung up the phone and looked at her. "Looks like we're going to be you're buddies for a bit."

She glared and moved backwards as they headed towards her. _Crap..._

--

"Mr. Kyoyama, I'm giving you three months to take their share of the 3G from the Asakuras. If you fail, you know what is at stake."

Anna's father stared at the guy standing at the foot of the hospital bed. A smug look was covering his face and Mr. Kyoyama sighed. "Ikuto... why must you do this? This isn't the right way to go about it."

Anger replaced his features. "You know what I want. I want the Asakuras to have the feeling of losing everything. I want them to feel what my father felt." He scoffed. "They don't even realize the people they affect with all that power they hold."

"How would I make a difference in changing that power that they have? The project of 3G is only a minor product. Their corporation is widely distributed and they hold their share of everything in more ways than you can imagine. Plus I run chains of hotels, not business companies." He crossed his arms and looked at the young man.

Ikuto smirked. "You would make a difference. That is because I know that your daughter is going to marry into the Asakuras. What better way then to attack from the inside out?"

"Ikuto..." Mr. Kyoyama rubbed his temple. "I refuse to go about this."

His expression hardened. "You have no choice. Your lives are on the line. You, your wife, and even your daughter. If you fail, you will all say hello to those laying beside your graves." He pulled out a piece of paper. "If you refuse to sign this agreement, your daughter would have to go first." He chortled softly. "My men had infiltrated your home and are in possession of your daughter when I last called."

Mr. Kyoyama glared and looked at him in disbelievement. "I can't believe you. Leave my family alone."

"I will. If you follow my orders." Ikuto grinned. "Three months will assure that no accidents will happen to you or your family when you sign this contract. No one must know about this either. If any of the rules are broken, I assure you that you will not sleep comfortably." He handed the paper to him along with a pen.

"Don't ever touch my daughter."

"I promise **I** won't if you sign this." His phone rang and Ikuto pulled it out of his pocket. "I'll give you a moment and I'll be right back." Seeing that Mr. Kyoyama was looking at the paper with some thought, he walked out of the room to pick up the phone.

--

Yoh pushed open the door to Anna's house and rushed in frantically. "Anna! Are you alright?"

He stared blankly for a few seconds, taking in the scene before him. The two men were lying on the ground groaning in pain as Anna had her arms crossed and frowned at them. A smile emerged on Yoh's face and he started laughing. _Man... I was worried for nothing..._

Anna looked at him, surprised, as well as the two men on the floor. They hadn't notice that he had entered the house. "Yoh! What are you doing here?"

"Hahahaha!" Yoh was too busy laughing to answer her and the two men took the chance to crawl to the living room, away from Anna's wrath.

"Yoh." Anna called out.

"Hahaha! I- I- I..." Yoh gasped as he tried to speak. "I was...hahaha... saw the car... hahaha..."

Anna stared and gave him a minute to recollect himself after laughing. "Can you talk normally now?"

Yoh let out a breath of air with a happy smile on his face. "Yeah. Man, you're really something Anna."

Anna struggled not to blush, but a very faint hint of pink showed on her face.

"But yeah. I saw the car parked outside and it looked very suspicious, so I came to see if you are alright." Yoh walked towards her and glanced at the two men standing up, but leaning on each other for support. "Whoo... you guys got pwned by a girl half your size."

"Shut up Yoh Asakura. It was a cheap shot." One of the men said and the other looked at his partner as he pulled out his cellphone.

"Are you going to tell your boss that you were beaten up by a girl?" Anna said smugly.

The man growled as he dialed. "It's none of your business."

"Sir, we have a little problem here... Uh huh... Yeah... Yoh Asakura is here as well... Yeah... Alright..."

Both Yoh and Anna were watching them. "Do you guys know me?" Yoh finally asked.

One of the men smirked, but didn't reply.

"Who are you? And what exactly do you want?" Anna asked and once again recieved the same response. Silence, except for the guy talking on the phone.

"Okay." He hung up the phone. Turning to Anna and Yoh, he said. "We are letting you guys off the hook right now, but next time you won't be as lucky." Quickly looking at his friend, they made a quick exit.

Yoh was surpressing his chuckle with a bright smile. "Okay. Bye guys."

Anna rolled her eyes at Yoh and saw her butler bow to them. "Mr. Yoh Asakura, would you like to join Ms. Anna for dinner?"

Yoh scratched his head, not expecting this. "Uh, sure why not?" Grinning, he looked at Anna, who just shrugged and sat down in her seat.

Yoh sat in a chair as the butler brought him a plate of food. "If you're lonely Anna, you are always welcome at our house too."

Anna humphed and picked at her food. "Why would I want that? That would be torture."

"I'm going to inform the police Ms. Anna. Please continue on with your dinner." The butler said and Anna nodded.

"Anytime Anna. The door is always open for you." Yoh said and put food into his mouth as her butler disappeared. "Anytime. Especially since those guys are around. Be sure to call me if you get into any trouble." Yoh then suddenly grinned. "I'm only one call away."

--

Ikuto sighed as he hung up the phone. _Pathetic..._ Pushing open the door, he made his way over to Mr. Kyoyama. "What is your decision?"

A piece of paper was handed back to him with a signature on it. _Perfect..._ A smug look appeared and he bowed to the man in the hospital bed. "I expect great results from you Mr. Kyoyama. It's a pleasure." Slipping the paper into a folder, Ikuto walked towards the door.

"Wait." Concern showed in his voice as he asked. "Is Anna alright?"

He turned his head slightly and replied. "Yes, she is perfectly fine. Goodbye." Satisfied with his achievement, Ikuto walked out feeling pleased.

--

"Ren?"

His eyes lifted from the ground to see Pirika and Tamao staring at him, worriedly. "Are you alright?" Pirika asked.

"Yeah, just fine." He muttered and continued walking past them.

Pirika frowned and was about to go after him, but Tamao held her arm. "Let him be."

_He doesn't look okay though..._ The wind blew and Pirika turned around along with Tamao. "I guess let's go back to shopping."

They saw none other than the infamous Hao with squealing girls following him when they turned back however. He spotted Pirika and Tamao and approached them looking around. "Have you guys seen Ren?"

"Yeah. He went that way." Pirika pointed behind her. "Is he alright? Did something happen?"

Hao shrugged. "I don't know exactly. Was he by himself?"

"Yeah." Pirika nodded. She was curious to know what happened, but something told her that the longer she talked to Hao, the more trouble it might bring them.

"Alright then." Hao smirked. "Think I can lose them?"

Pirika looked at the glowering eyes behind Hao and sweatdropped along with Tamao. With a light nervous chuckle, she said. "Perhaps."

Hao winked and Pirika almost swooned to her knees, but he disappeared hastily. Pirika decided that it was time to escape as well and both her and Tamao went the opposite direction as quickly as possible, leaving the confused girls to decide who to go after.

Pirika and Tamao turned another corner and **WHAM!** collided with a girl. Both of them fell backwards with grunts. "I'm so sorry!" Pirika shouted and peeked one eye open. Stunned to see that the girl picking herself up and brushing herself off was Yuna, she just stared.

"It's alright." She said quietly and looked equally as surprised to see Pirika and Tamao. She quickly looked away as Pirika and Tamao stood up and faced her.

"What are you doing here?" Pirika asked bluntly.

"It's none of your business..." Her reply was faint and somewhat sad, yet harsh.

A car pulled up beside Yuna and a guy stepped out. He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her towards the car. "There you are! Where have you been?"

"Nowhe-" Yuna started, but he shoved her into the car and faced them.

Pirika and Tamao's eyes grew wide as he approached them. Fear made them stand still and their hearts pounded against their chest rapidly. _Who is he?_ He sneered at them. "Are you aquaintences of that Tao Ren?" He reached into his pocket and if their eyes could go any wider, theirs did.

"NO!" Yuna had ran out of the car. "I don't know who they are. They just ran into me by accident."

His hand came back out of his pocket. "You know Yuna, you've been defying me more than usual. And it's _pissing_ me off." He turned to Yuna and walked towards her angrily. Terror shone in her eyes even when her facial expression remain placid.

He indicated for her to get into the car and she did as she was told without questioning. Before entering the car, he glared at them one last time then the car disappeared from their sights as it zipped down the street.

Pirika and Tamao shared a glance. Without even saying anything, both of them knew something was up. "Today just isn't a good day huh?" Pirika asked no one in particular, but Tamao nodded anyways. They stared down the empty street, still frightened by what just occurred a few minutes ago.

--

"How can I get her to forget about me?" Lyserg asked himself as he sat on his roof, staring at the sky. He had purposely ignored her as much as possible, not because he didn't like her, but he didn't want to give her any hope that he could like her. He sighed. "HoroHoro likes you, you know?"

_It must be very painful for HoroHoro right now._ There was no special feelings developing for Jeanne and knowing that one of his very good friends have a crush on her isn't making it develop either. _Perhaps I can ask someone to pretend that they are my girlfriend..._ He shook his head. That was a bad idea. Knowing how lies always turn out, it wouldn't end good for him. _Maybe I should get a real girlfriend... _He wasn't sure that he was ready for a relationship though and there wasn't anyone in particular that he really liked. Scratching his head, he closed his eyes. _What should I do?_ Frowning, he stared down at the garden below. _It must hurt to not have your feelings returned... There is no way to do this painlessly is there?_ Lyserg stood up and hopped down onto the balcony of his room. _I guess if I end this the sooner, the better. That way she wouldn't have to feel this way and neither does HoroHoro._

_Hopefully... This works out... She'll have to bear with the pain for a little while though..._

--

Jeanne sighed and threw herself on her bed. Her family was annoying. With her father constant nagging at her to prepare to take over the business and her mother constantly nagging that she needs to do better despite her fairly well achievements, she never gets to say what's on her mind. They never approve of her anyways. Everything she does is failure and rendered useless no matter how hard she tries. They always criticize her; her looks, her grades, her personality, her lack of talent, and even her habits. She honestly hated it. Even the maids and butlers were constantly nagging her; as orders from her parents. School is horrible as well; with those crazy fangirls constantly after her, she could barely make it through the day without getting bullied.

She pulled out a picture and smiled. But she could live through all of it if he just smiles or looks at her. Jeanne hugged the picture of Lyserg against her chest. She pulled the picture away and looked at it, the happy smile slowly fading to a sad one as she stared at it. However, he totally ignored her today. He barely gave her a glance as she had managed to muster up all her courage to go up and talk to him. He brushed her off and said that he was busy. _Perhaps he doesn't want to talk to me anymore..._ She felt her heart began to crumble. He was her invisible support to continue living, unaware to him. His presence made her wanting to wake up each day and face the repetitive torture that she goes through. Just seeing him made her day better no matter how bad it was.

She shook her head like every other day, as if shaking off the horrible thoughts. _I must presevere... Don't give up Jeanne... Be determined... Maybe he really was busy and in a rush... Don't jump to conclusions... _She looked at the picture once again and smiled slightly. _I must try harder... Don't let it be painful... Just smile at me and I'll be okay..._

_Just smile at me yeah?_

--

"They say loving you is my biggest mistake but how can it be so wrong if it feels so right? If ever I made a mistake, its not that I love you, its thinking that someday you'll love me too... "


	11. Chapter 11

.: So This is How it is:.

A few days passed and things were almost back to normal. Almost... Well... Not really.

_Blah. Blah. Blah. _HoroHoro listened to the teacher's voice drone on dully as he rolled his pencil around on his desk. _Hurry and end this already..._ After a few more minutes, the bell finally rung and HoroHoro jumped up without waiting to be excused and bolted out the door.

"Hey! The assignment is..." The teacher shouted after him, but he didn't stop to listen.

_Man... Biology is so boring... I wondered why I ever took that class?_ HoroHoro dropped his bag beside his desk when he entered his English class and rested his head against the table. He looked around and saw that most of his classmates weren't there yet. _I'm early... for once..._

Anna walked into the classroom alongside with Ren and Sumi. HoroHoro sat up and gave a smile to them. Yoh had told them about what happened to Anna and so basically this past week, they kept a watchful eye on her for Yoh's sake.

"Wow, HoroHoro is actually on time. What's the special occasion?" Anna asked sarcastically as she walked past him to get to her seat in the back.

HoroHoro made a face. "Ha. Ha. I get to class on time sometimes. You make it sound like I'm always late."

Ren walked past his desk to get to his seat beside Anna. "Most of the time."

"Hey!" HoroHoro pouted and crossed his arms, facing the front.

"It's alright HoroHoro. They're just messing with you. Though it is surprising to see you here early." Lyserg had appeared beside his desk and sat down. "Good morning Sumi." He said as he turned to face Sumi, who was watching them from the front.

She grinned back at them. "Good morning."

Lyserg then looked to the back at Ren. Anna had said something with a huff, and that caused Ren to laugh. Ren seemed more happier when Anna was around and his mood is a lot different than the previous days when he informed them about his 'talk' with Yuna. _Is it good that you are happy right now because of her? Or are you just trying to ignore Yuna?_ Lyserg sighed and caught HoroHoro looking at him with concern.

"Is everything okay Lyserg?" His blue-haired friend questioned.

A nod to the head from Lyserg. "Of course."

"Hi Anna!" Yoh's call echoed throughout the room and everyone turned to see Yoh waving with a bright smile on his face.

Anna covered her face and laid her head down on the table with embarassment with Ren giving Yoh an amused expression. _Pretty obvious Yoh._

However, Yoh being oblivious, bounced over to Anna and greeted her cheerfully. "How's the lady doing today?"

In the front, Sumi was giggling at Yoh and Anna. _Cute..._

Hao walked in shaking his head at his brother and stealing some glances at Sumi's giggling face on the way to his seat. Liz followed him with an onimous aura surrounding her as she held onto Hao's hand. Both HoroHoro and Lyserg shivered when they passed them and shared a knowing look.

"What's so funny? I want to know." Keigo stated as he sat on Sumi's desk.

Sumi turned back around, smiling. "It's too late. You missed it Keigo."

"Aw... That sucks." Keigo groaned, but reached his hand towards Sumi's face. However, before he could touch her, arms went around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Surprise showed on his face as his attacker squealled out his name. "Keeeeeiiigo! I missed you!"

"W-what?" He choked out. Behind him, Yuna was holding him tightly as she hugged him, nearly pulling him off the table. Everyone around them were now focused on them. Murmurs began to sound throughout the room after a few more seconds passed. Keigo struggled to pull off Yuna's arms around his neck and when he successfully removed them, she was pouting at him.

Confusion covered his face. "I just saw you yesterday. How can you miss me?"

Lyserg looked around at the surrounding people and then back to them. From his recent observations, it seems that Yuna was trying very hard to engage herself in some sort of relationship with Keigo. Keigo on the other hand seemed to have grown closer to Sumi. He also noticed that Hao keeps a watchful eye on Keigo and Sumi more often, while Liz becomes irritated when she is ignored. Anna and Yoh also have developed towards a closer relationship as well as Anna and Ren. He is assuming that Yuna is doing this to make Ren jealous due to her rejection and Ren found himself talking to Anna to avoid Yuna. _Hmm... complicated..._

"I just do." Yuna answered innocently as Keigo rubbed his neck and raised his eyebrows.

"Um, are you okay? When did this happen?" Keigo asked and rubbing his head.

Yuna grabbed his arm and shook it gently. "What are you talking about Keigo?"

Completely clueless. That's what Keigo's face looked like, but somehow, he was able to still pull it off without looking dorky. "Yuna." His face turned serious. "You know I know there is something behind these action of yours, but I don't want to say anything because I might ruin your reputation here."

Yuna puffed out her cheeks and removed her hands from his arm. "Aw... but..." A smirk appeared. "I'll take you away from the other girls before they strike."

She smiled at Sumi. "You know, I really admire you and respect you, but I won't lose to you." She looked at Keigo. "Or you."

Sumi started chuckling softly at them. "Looks like you found yourself a potential girlfriend."

Keigo scowled and crossed his arms, looking the opposite direction, away from Yuna. He spotted Hao and just simply gave him a challenging look.

Ryo had entered the room and saw what happened. Not entirely understanding the situation, he just silently headed over to his seat.

Their English teacher, Ms. Hamasuki entered the room with her whole class chattering and laughing. "Settle down class." She made a face when she saw Keigo. "Keigo, please get off Sumi's desk. I thought I talked about this already. Don't sit on top of the table."

"Right. Aye Aye Madam." Keigo hopped off Sumi's desk and onto his seat in front of hers.

Ms. Hamasuki shook her head and faced the class. "You guys might have heard on the news or read in the newspaper that we are expecting an earthquake to occur sometime soon. So I want you guys to be able to take precautions and know what to do in case you are stuck in an earthquake..." Their English teacher went over some safety regulations and what actions to take if an earthquake were to occur during class. She smiled at the class. "I hope you guys are practicing hard for the upcoming show because I already had personally called and invited each and every one of your family members to notify them." She held up a fist. "Work hard class."

--

School ended and Liz walked out of her history class beside Ryo. "You know, it annoys me how much Hao is paying less and less attention to me." She confided. Over the last few weeks, she found Ryo to talk about her problems with Hao. She was hoping to get some input on how guys think, but Hao seemed so confusing.

"Maybe he has a lot on his mind..." He replied. He had seen Hao too frequently over at the restaurant he was working at and it was making him suspect that Hao was over there more than just visiting his friend.

Liz crossed her arms. "And Sumi. She's been disappearing a lot too. I wonder what she is up to." A sigh was heard. "She's been coming home late. And not through the front door too. Through her window. Don't think I don't know. I see her sneaking across the lawn to climb up to her room at night. I suspect that my mom is aware of this too. Just waiting for the right time to bust her."

Ryo gave Liz a glance. No one knew that Sumi was working except Hao, Ren, and himself. Why was she working so hard? Who knows. He was working because he wasn't rich like everyone else. He needed money to survive and to confirm his suspicions. About a certain person...

"I'm also losing time to spend with Hao now." She shifted her backpack.

"Howcome?" He asked.

She grinned. "I'm cheerleading now." Liz spotted her boyfriend standing up ahead with Yoh, Anna, Ren, Lyserg, and Sumi. "And I need to tell him." They approached the group and Liz threw her arms around Hao.

"Hey Liz." Hao said as he wrapped his arms around her. "How are you doing?"

"Good." She answered and put her arms around his waist as she leaned into him.

"Hey guys." Everyone else greeted them with a grin.

Sumi pulled out her cellphone and looked at the time. "Oh, I have to go meet up with my group to practice our performance, so later guys." She hurrily waved and rushed away, leaving Liz to look after her.

"Hey, don't let them pick on you." Anna called out to Sumi and she turned around to grin at Anna.

"I won't!" She turned back around and nearly knocked someone over, but luckily she avoided them in time. Sprinting away, she disappeared from their sight.

Hao chuckled at the sight, but mangaged to surpress his laughter pretty well.

Anna shook her head. _She better not..._

"She better not." Ren had voiced out what she was thinking and Anna looked at him in surprise. Ren saw her staring at him confused and he raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"No, nothing." Anna replied. _For a moment there, I thought he was able to read my mind._ She looked around. It was surprising how in the past weeks, she had went from invisible to noticed and despised by all girls. Though she knows that she is still socially unaccepted by their fangirls, at least Yoh and the others made her feel like they were really her friends, though she still thought they were cocky, arrogant, and self-centered... Maybe... Probably...

Ha... Except for Yoh...

"Hi guys!" HoroHoro walked up with Jeanne following him with a flushed face.

"Hi." Jeanne murmured and glanced at Lyserg, blushing.

Everyone chorused back a hello as Lyserg just looked away. "I have some stuff to do right now. So I'll catch you guys later." Lyserg waved with a small smile and just walked away.

"Hey! Wait up. We have basketball practice together." Ren called out, but Lyserg kept walking, so he looked at them. "Later guys." He said dully and ran after Lyserg.

"Hey! What about me?" HoroHoro shouted then gave them an apologetic smile. "See ya!" HoroHoro ran after them yelling. "You jerks!"

Yoh was chuckling at them. "Come on Anna. I'll take you home." Yoh smiled at Jeanne. "I'll give you a ride too."

Jeanne bowed and looked at the three boys disappearing towards the gym. "Thanks."

Hao looked at Liz, smiling. "I guess that leaves me and you now."

"Actually, I can't today because I just joined cheerleading. So I have practice too." Liz gave him a sad look.

Hao smirked. "It's alright. It can't be helped." He gave her a hug and a peck on her forhead. "Go on then. Have fun."

Liz nodded. "I'll see you later then Hao." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and parted ways with him. "Bye Ryo." She smiled and walked towards the field at the back of the school.

Ryo nodded at her and looked at Hao. "What are you doing now?"

Hao shrugged. "I guess I'm going to try to find out and settle some family issues." He looked back at Ryo. "Are you working today?"

"Yeah." Ryo said and asked. "Just a question. Why are you always there anyways?"

Hao pulled on his tie to loosen it. "That's because I want to find out more about Ikuto."

"Why don't you just ask Keigo? Didn't he say that?" Ryo stuck his hands into his back pocket and watched him.

He rubbed his head. "Yeah, but me and Keigo aren't exactly on friendly terms. He's got this challenging aura against me." He smirked. "It's interesting, but I won't lose to a person like him."

Ryo laughed. "I see..." He pulled his hands out of his back pocket. "Well, I have to go to work now. I'll catch you later." He slapped Hao's hand and gave a firm shake with a pat to the back.

"Okay later." Hao said as Ryo walked past him. He spotted a picture on the ground and picked it up. It's a picture of... _Tao En?_ He looked up at Ryo's retreating back in confusion. "Hey Ryo!" He held up the picture. "You dropped this..."

Ryo looked surprised and quickly ran back to Hao. "Thanks." He took the picture from Hao's hand and quickly pocketed it. Scanning Hao's face for suspicious glances, Ryo just turned around and ran off. _Hopefully Hao won't say anything..._

_What was that?_ He watched Ryo round the corner of the street. _I wonder why he has a picture of Ren's father..._ Hao pondered, but decided to go solve his own problem, so he headed towards his car. _Time to find out how to break off this marriage..._

--

"Okay! Good job girls! We will continue this tomorrow!" The coach clapped her hands and the girls separated.

Pirika and Tamao dropped onto the grass and grabbed a bottle of water, drinking it down thirstily. Liz sat down next to them and smiled. "Wow. You guys are great. Very surprising. Especially Tamao because I thought you were more timid and quiet."

Tamao blushed. "Thanks."

"You adapted pretty well." Pirika noted. "Pretty fast too."

"Thanks. I did cheerleading at my other school, so I had prior experience." Liz informed.

"That's good. Kind of lucky that someone decided to drop out when you moved here. Otherwise we wouldn't have someone as good as you." Pirika stated. "Are you enjoying drama class?" The three of them had drama for their third period class.

"Yeah. It's interesting..." Liz answered. There were a lot of fangirls in the drama class though. She should of figured that it was a class that friends usually took together to mess around. "The teacher is really laid back."

"Yup." Pirika stood up. "You guys want to go to the bathroom? I need to wash my hands."

"Sure." Liz followed suit, as well as Tamao. The few other fangirls that were cheerleaders eyed them and watched them head towards the bathroom, murmuring softly.

The bathroom was empty when they entered. Pirika wet her lips as she ran her hands under the water. Tamao stood on the side and Liz entered one of the stalls. Pirika and Tamao shared an unsure glance.

The bathroom door opened quietly and one of the fangirl's head peeked in. She looked at Pirika and Tamao and gestured them to come outside. Pirika pushed away the guilty feeling and pursed her lips. She let out a breath and said, "Liz, we are going to to go back to our things first. I have to do something right now. Sorry, I'll see you later."

"Okay." The voice echoed back to her and Pirika made a face to Tamao as they walked out of the bathroom. Letting the door shut behind them with a thud.

The girls standing outside the door, quickly pulled out a rope and tied the door shut. Giggling, they ushered Pirika and Tamao back towards the field. "Are you sure that was a good idea?" Pirika asked.

"What happens if no one lets her out?" Tamao asked quietly.

"Don't worry. If no one lets her out today, then tomorrow the janitor is bound to open that door. She'll be okay. It's only a couple hours." One of the fangirls assured and laughed. "It might be sooner. Who knows."

Pirika and Tamao looked uneasy and the fangirls stared at them. "You guys can't open the door for her, otherwise..." One of the smirked.

"You don't want Mika mad do you?"

"We'll take you home because it's on the way."

Without waiting, they began pushing them towards their cars. "Let's go!"

"Actually let's go to Go Berry!" One of them suggested.

"Yeah! That sounds great!"

"Do you guys want to go?" They looked at Pirika and Tamao.

Pirika managed a smile. "Uh sure." She couldn't shake the guilty feeling off though. She picked up her things on the floor. Liz's things were beside her and Pirika saw her cellphone. _She doesn't even have her cellphone with her..._ She looked at her friend beside her.

Tamao's face was grim as she watched Pirika put Liz's stuff into Liz's bag and hang it on the side of the wall. "She can't even call for help..." Tamao stated quietly.

"Hurry up guys!" The girls called out and they jumped. Quickly running over, the girls led Pirika and Tamao towards their cars.

They gave one guilty look towards the bathroom and allowed them to be taken away from the school.

Liz ran her hands under the facet. _Cheerleading isn't that bad. At least I know some people in here..._ She pulled at the paper towel and dried her hands. She looked in the mirror and smiled as she fixed her hair.

She walked up to the door and pulled, but the door didn't open. _Huh?_ She tried again. This time harder, but the door still didn't budge. _The door is stuck..._ She pulled once again. This time, out of nowhere, cold water fell onto her head, soaking her. _What the hell! What's going on?_ Shock ran through Liz and she jumped back from the door, running to the paper towels. Grabbing some, she wiped her face. She shivered. _Great... Who did this?_

A solemn look fell on her face. She figured it was the fangirls. They have been careful to include her, but at the same time, she knew it was a rule that they weren't allowed to actually date _the_ Hao Asakura. _I kind have been expecting this..._ It was hard to get them to team up with her because they knew they would lose to her, but she didn't want them to be enemies to her and be picked on like the others. They gave her a hard time at first, but somehow she had managed to win them over.

_Figured it would be too easy..._ Liz tried to dry herself the best she could, but she was at the outdoor restroom, so they didn't have the electric hand dryer like inside the school. She walked over to the door and started banging on it. "Hey! Let me out!" She looked around for windows. The windows were high and small, so there was no way she could actually fit through. "Anyone out there? Tamao! Pirika! Can you hear me? Let me out!"

She reached for her pocket, but realized she didn't have her cellphone with her. _Shit... _She cursed. _What do I do?_ She went on banging on the door. "You guys! Let me out! This isn't funny!"

For the next couple hours, Liz was banging on the door until her voice became tired. She sneezed. _I'm cold..._ The light outside had turned dark, so she guessed it was nighttime. _Someone please help me..._ She headed to the middle of the bathroom and after laying out the rest of the paper towels, she sat down and hugged herself. _No one is going to realize that I'm missing..._ She sneezed again. _Stupid fangirls..._ _Hao... you don't know what I'm going through for you..._

--

Yoh stood beside Anna at the hospital. He grinned at the man before him. "Hi Mr. Kyoyama! I hope you are feeling better. I'm sorry that I didn't bring any oranges today."

The man laughed. "It's alright. It looks like you guys just came straight from school, so I forgive you. How was your day Anna?"

Anna stared at her father. "It was alright." She paused. It's been a few days since she found out that she was getting married to Hao, but she hadn't informed her parents that she knew about it. "Father... why did you guys decide that I was going to get marry to Hao Asakura?"

Her father smiled and held up his hands. "It was all your mother's idea. I swear." He chuckled lightly. "Mikihisa Asakura called and told me that Kino told you guys..." He rubbed his chin and looked at Anna. "Told me that you didn't take it too well..."

"Of course not!" Anna crossed her arms. "She just agreed for me to marry a flirt."

Yoh opened his mouth to defend his brother, but what she said was too true, so he closed it.

"Anna! Don't say such inconsiderate things about people." Her father said sternly, then looked over to his wife lying still asleep in bed with a sad expression. "Your mother wanted you to be safe."

"Safe?" Anna raised an eyebrow.

Her father looked at her. "Yeah. So stay with the Asakuras. They'll take care of you if anything. Plus Yohmei and Kino as well as Keiko and Mikihisa really likes you. I feel more at ease if you were in their hands." He grinned at her warmly. "I don't want my beautiful daughter to be not taken care of. As long as you are healthy and happy, I'll be happy."

Anna pursed her lips. "Oh father..." She couldn't bring it out to tell her father about the two men intruding their home. It would worry him, plus nothing happened anyways so she didn't want him to fret over something as little as this. She went to his side and hugged him, then said. "I still don't want to marry Hao Asakura."

--

Lyserg, Ren, and HoroHoro walked out of the locker room and headed towards the parking lot. "I'm wiped out..." Lyserg stated.

"Yeah. Coach went crazy today..." Ren swung his towel over his shoulder.

HoroHoro scratched his head. "No kidding. He kept picking on me..."

Ren looked at HoroHoro. "That's cause you kept spacing out. The ball knocked you on the head and you didn't even move."

"Oh..." HoroHoro blushed. "I was thinking..."

Lyserg looked at HoroHoro and managed a smile. "About what? How to beat the undefeatable Ren Tao?"

"What? Ren isn't undefeatable!" HoroHoro shouted. "I can ball him up any day."

"I'd like to see you try." Ren smirked.

HoroHoro frowned. "Just wait and you'll see!"

Lyserg grinned. "Til that day HoroHoro..." They walked towards the parking lot, joking and laughing along the way.

Ren stopped and looked towards the field. He thought he heard something calling from that direction, but when he listened carefully he didn't hear anything.

HoroHoro walked alongside Lyserg and they stopped a few feet in front of Ren. For a second, they shared a knowing look. _He knows... He knows I was thinking about Jeanne..._ HoroHoro looked back at Ren, who was staring off towards the field. "What's wrong Ren?"

His head turned back towards them. "Oh, no nothing. I just thought I heard something." Ren shrugged and headed towards them. "Must have been my imagination."

"Maybe too much milk gives you hallucinations too." HoroHoro said and recieved a bonk to the head.

Ren crossed his arms. "Milk is good for you!"

HoroHoro was rubbing his head. "That's what you think!"

Lyserg laughed at them. His friends were so amusing.

--

Sumi rushed towards the restaurant. _Man...Those girls are pretty good..._ They were practicing very seriously for the upcoming show and it surprised Sumi that the fangirls were so dedicated and hardworking. Mika didn't even give her a hard time and just practiced without fazing. _It's weird that they weren't attacking me or anything..._

Somehow this made her happy. _I knew they could be nice people..._

"Why do you look so happy right now?" Keigo stood leaning against a pole, looking at her. "Funny bumping into you here."

Sumi grinned. "I know huh? But hi."

"So why are you smiling so much?" Keigo asked again.

Sumi walked towards him. "Don't laugh if I tell you okay?"

Keigo nodded and zipped up his jacket. Sticking his hands in his pocket, he looked at her. "Go on."

"You know the fangirls that I got partner up with? They treated me pretty normal today, like a friend. And we were working so well together." Sumi beamed and clasped her hands together happily.

Keigo gave her an odd look then started snickering. "You poor deprived child."

"Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh." She put her hands to her hips, but her smile didn't disappear. "But that's okay, even you can't bring me down right now."

He started laughing. "That's so sad. You are so happy about that? Man, they treat you normal for one day and you get all excited. Wow..."

"Fine. Forget I told you. I have to go anyways. See ya!" Sumi said and began to jog past him.

Keigo let out a relief breath after laughing and looked at the sky. Dark clouds were settling in and it looked like it was going to rain later. He smirked then walked after Sumi.

--

Pirika and Tamao walked out of Go Berry, feeling the guilt eating at their stomachs. The girls were inside still ordering their yogurt. Tamao looked at Pirika. "We have to tell someone. Should we call Hao?"

"No." Pirika made a nervous face. "He'll hate me forever! And I can't call my brother because he'll be mad at me for doing this, but he doesn't understand the situation."

"Ren? Lyserg? Yoh?" Tamao looked panicky. "What happens if no one helps her?"

"We can't call them. They'll hate us..." Pirika bit her lip worried. "Should we go get her ourselves?"

"The girls are watching us and making sure we don't go back." Tamao informed and looked through the glass. They were ordering, but giving them glances once in a while to make sure they were still there. "If we want to call or something, we have to do it fast."

Pirika shook her hands. "I don't know! I don't know! What do we do?"

"Sumi..." Tamao stated and Pirika looked at her.

"Huh?"

She pointed at the girl running towards the restaurant across the street. "At least tell someone. Ask her if she can keep it a secret for now or something." Her voice was nervous and shaky.

Pirika gave a quick glance backwards to see that the girls were pulling out their wallets to pay. She rapidly dashed across the street and intersected Sumi before she reached the corner of the restaurant. "Sumi!" Pirika said breathlessly.

Sumi stopped, stunned to see Pirika before her. "Hi Pirika are you okay?"

She shook her head 'no' hastily. "Please don't tell anyone I told you this, but Liz is in trouble. She is locked in a bathroom at school. Please help her right now. Don't tell Hao or HoroHoro I told you this. I beg you." Pirika had desperation and guilt written all over her face. "I have to go now." Without waiting, she sprinted back to Tamao and tried to play it off casually when the fangirls came out.

Sumi stared. Her eyes followed Pirika and Tamao and they shot her pleading looks with their eyes as they headed down the street with the other girls. _What should I do? I have work right now. But... Liz is in trouble. I should help her first._ She snapped out of her thoughts and walked into Keigo.

"Whoa. I thought you were frozen cause I was waving my hand in your face, but you weren't moving." Keigo held her shoulders to look at her. "Are you alright?"

She grabbed one of his arms with her hand to pull it off. "Can you take me to school right now?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. What happened?" He questioned.

"I'll explain in a second." Sumi dashed into the restaurant and looked around for Manta. _Where are you?_

"Hey Sumi. What are you doing?" Ryo asked as he grabbed the plates off a table.

Sumi looked back and forth. "Looking for Manta." She scanned the room.

"Over there." He pointed to one of the far tables and Sumi zoomed over there. "Manta!" She cried out exasperately and bowed. "I'm taking the day off because my sister is in trouble."

"What?" Manta rubbed his chin and nodded, not questioning more. "Go then. Seems important."

"Thank you!" She bowed and sped towards the door. Once outside, Keigo had pulled up, waiting for her. She jumped inside the car and he began to speed to school.

"So what happened?" He looked at her as he drove.

"Liz is locked inside a bathroom at school, so I have to help her." Sumi said as they whipped their way around making everything around them a blur.

Keigo raised his eyebrow. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. I just found out." Sumi pulled out her cellphone and dialed Liz's number. The phone was ringing, but then it went to her voicemail. She tried two more times as they swerved into the parking lot. She jumped out of the car as Keigo also ran out.

"I'll help you look." Keigo shouted out to her and she nodded as she began to run towards the school.

_There's so many bathrooms here. How do I know which one? I should have asked Pirika._ Sumi looked around. "Where can you be Liz?"

They ran inside the school and began looking through the bathrooms. "Liz!" She called out. "Where are you?"

There were so many different areas to explore because the school was so big. An hour passed and still no luck. Keigo looked at Sumi. "Are you sure she is here? What if you were tricked?"

_But Pirika looked so worried, so I don't think she was lying to me._ "I don't think so." Sumi scanned down the hall. The school was sure even bigger when there were no students around. "Thanks for helping me Keigo."

He smirked at her. "No problem." He then rubbed his head. "What if she went home already?"

"I'm not sure... but she isn't picking up her phone." Sumi looked at her phone after hearing Liz's ring tone once again. _Too bad I don't have Pirika's number or the others..._ She dialed Liz's number again and walked around with Keigo following behind her. They walked past the windows and they saw that it started sprinkling outside.

A ringtone sounded and Sumi looked around, trying to figure out where it's coming from. She called the phone again and Keigo pointed outside through the window. "Over there."

She ran outside and saw Liz's bag getting wet. Grabbing it, she looked inside to see her cellphone. "She's still here." Sumi said to Keigo, with the rain damping their hair. "Liz!"

"There's bathroom over there!" Keigo nodded towards the building on the far side.

Sumi sprinted over to see the door tied with a rope. She quickly undid it and threw it to the side. She flung open the door to see Liz sitting on the floor, with her face wet. She rushed over, nearly slipping on the water by the door. "Are you alright Liz?"

"Oh Sumi..." She sobbed with her lips blue.

"You're cold." Sumi felt her skin and saw that her cheerleading uniform was wet. "Don't cry. You're okay." She placed a hand on her forehead. It felt really warm. "You're getting sick though." She looked towards the door to see Keigo entering the bathroom cautiously. "Keigo. Help me."

He hopped over the water puddle and kneeled down on the other side of Liz. Pulling off his jacket, he wrapped it around Liz. Then carefully he lifted her into his arms. Nodding at Sumi, he stood up.

Liz just stared at Keigo and Sumi as they helped her escape from the cold bathroom. _How did they find me? And why them out of all people?_

Sumi held the door open as Keigo carried Liz through the door. They jogged towards his car, but by the time they got there, they were soaked through. "I'll take you guys home right now."

"Thanks a lot Keigo." Sumi smiled at him as he started the car. "You know. You are a lot nicer than what everyone thinks."

He smirked. "Thanks." He sped to her house as Sumi tried to keep Liz warm by blowing on her hands.

--

"How about you marry Yoh then?" Her father joked.

Bewilderment and surprise showed on Anna's face and she was speechless for a minute before she jumped up. "No! Father, I meant that I'm not ready for marriage!"

"Hahaha! I know I know." He chuckled. "I was just joking, but you should have seen your face."

Anna blushed and frowned. "It's not funny." She murmured.

Mr. Kyoyama looked over to Yoh, who was slightly pink and was staring out the window. "So does Hao have a girlfriend?"

Yoh looked over to Anna's father and nodded. "Oh I see... Hm..."

"So who do you guys like?" Mr. Kyoyama said brightly and they stared at him, turning pink.

"Father... We are not going to answer your question." Anna glared. "In fact, I'm going home now." She walked angrily out of the room, leaving Mr. Kyoyama chuckling lightly at his daughter.

"I think I teased her too much." He smiled at Yoh and Yoh grinned at him. "Go on. It's going to start raining so drive safely."

"Thanks Mr. Kyoyama." Yoh bowed and walked after Anna. "We'll see you again."

Anna was standing at the entrance of the hospital, waiting for Yoh. The sky had now started drizzling and people on the street were scampering around for cover from the rain. Something fell on her head and she looked up to see that it was a jacket.

Yoh appeared beside her smiling. "Let's go home."

--

When they reached the house, Keigo carried Liz up the doorstep and they met Mary at the door. "Oh my god! What have you done with my baby?" She shouted as they entered the house. She looked to the maid. "Hitomi, help Liz get ready for a shower and Yuki, make her something warm." She ordered. "Take her upstairs." She told Keigo and he followed Hitomi, who was leading him towards her room.

When they disappeared up the stairs, Mary looked at Sumi angrily and pointed a threatening finger at her. "Were you bullying Liz? Is that it? Why is she like that? What have you done?" She walked towards Sumi as Sumi backed away. "What did you do to my daughter?" Her eyes flickered with hatred and anger.

"No, I didn't. I didn't do anything!" Sumi defended. _I helped her... _"Why don't you believe me?"

"Don't lie to me! You hang around with someone like him and you expect me to believe you? You sneak back into the house late at night and you expect me to believe you? You are worthless! I bet you go sleep around with other boys at night don't you? What do you think the people say when they see you around people like him? You are creating shame in the Mitsuki name you know that?" Mary accused, voice dripping with acid. "Don't think that I don't know!"

Sumi stared at her, hurt. _She thinks I sleep around? _"How can you? How can you believe other people's hurtful words? You don't even belong-"

A rough slap met Sumi's cheek and Sumi was stunned. "What? I don't belong in this family? Is that it? The one who shouldn't belong in this family is you. Do you think your dead mother will come back? That woman is long gone and won't ever come back. She got what she deserves and I earned my right to be a part of this family. How hard do you think I had hoped for this family to grow and bond? No. You don't know. None at all! You refuse to see how much effort I put in and choose to remain ignorant. Do you not realize that your existence in this family makes it hard on everyone?"

Sumi felt angry and her chest ached painfully. "You don't know how great my mother is! She is a thousand times better than you! How dare you say that about her! You don't know anything! Why do you want to be a part of this family anyways? You want nothing but fame and riches! This house. This family is nothing!"

"Don't put me down in front of others!" Hiro was standing on the side, while Yuki was in the kitchen, but he heard everything.

She felt her cheek sting once again as Mary had striked her once more. Keigo now stood between Mary and Sumi, holding Mary's arm before she could hit her again. "That's right... It's empty here... It's cold and it's not my home..." Sumi said quietly.

"Then get out! Don't live here! Leave! And don't come back!" Mary yelled at Sumi.

Sumi stared then turned away from her. Her chest throbbed and it felt difficult to breathe. Pushing open the door, she pursed her lips as she made her way off what she had called home.

"Release me you disgusting child." Mary hissed angrily.

Keigo glared and let go of her arm. "Watch what you say you old hag, it might hurt someone's feelings." He ran out the door after Sumi.

Sumi was making her way down the street in the rain. She didn't care that it was pouring down on her right now. She felt so numb that she could barely feel it. Her heart was pounding so rapidly and painful that it felt good to feel the cold water droplets on her skin. What was she doing? She didn't know. But what she wanted was to get away. She'll think about things later. It was just too painful at the moment. Her harsh breathing slowed down as she struggled to contain herself. _It's alright... It's alright..._

Someone grabbed her arm and forced her to turn around. _Keigo._ She didn't even noticed that he had pulled up his car and ran after her. He stared at her hard and with sympathy as if he was trying to read her.

"Sumi. Where are you going?" Keigo asked, standing beside her as he was also getting more soaked. She could see that he was concerned.

Her voice sounded foreign to her as she answered back nonchantantly. "Away from here."

"Where?" Keigo watched her try to keep a straight face. There was no way he could let her be by herself right now. It would simply just be wrong. The guilt would kill him, knowing that he saw what happen and just letting her be alone. It wasn't right.

She looked away. "Away. Just let me go."

_What should he do?_ He wasn't exactly sure, but he didn't think it was a good idea for her to go off on her own. Keigo exhaled and just pulled her into him. He wrapped his arms around her, hoping this would at least give her some comfort.

Sumi stood still as Keigo hugged her tightly. She didn't cry. Just stared at the rain splattering onto the sidewalk. _Where should I go? I don't want to be anywhere near here right now... Perhaps the restaurant... Manta could help me..._

Keigo pulled away and looked down at her. "Sumi. It's okay. Come on. You're going to catch a cold." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his car. Opening the passenger door, he made sure that she got in. Then running to the other side, he quickly hopped into his car and drove off. He gave glances to Sumi, who was staring out the window blankly.

After a few more minutes of silence, it seemed that Sumi had finally recollected herself. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"To my place. You can stay with me for awhile. I'll make sure you're okay." Keigo grinned at her. "Don't worry about it."

Sumi nodded. "Thank you. " This Keigo, the rebellious tough-guy at school is a lot more kind and gentle than what she thought. His harsh and straightforward personality that scares a lot of people seems to have started to slowly fade away.

They pulled up into Keigo's home and Sumi just stared. It was huge! Her eyes must have showed a lot of amazement because Keigo laughed.

"I live with my uncle. He owns a car manufactoring company, so we have a lot of cars." He smirked. "Come on."

Sumi followed him through the door and was hit with a large beautiful interior. Her eyes and mouth were wide with astonishment. "Welcome home Keigo." The butler bowed before Keigo reached the stairs.

Keigo gave a smile and continued up the stairs with Sumi following him. He went straight into a room and Sumi entered cautiously, admiring her surroundings. "Um... Are you sure that it's okay if I stay with you?" She asked nervously.

"Of course." He went to the closet and began digging through his things. He pulled out a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt along with a towel and handed it to Sumi. "Go take a shower. You'll get sick if you stay wet." He pointed to the bathroom through the door in his room. "There's the bathroom." He smirked.

"I don't get sick easily. Why don't you shower first?" Sumi asked, hesitating.

"It's alright." Keigo went back to his closet. "Go first."

Sumi looked at him, then walked towards the bathroom. _He doesn't look well..._

--

Hao sat at the bar talking to Rio until Manta decided to take a break and hopped up beside Hao. He had been there for the past hour. Ikuto had entered with his gang, but then left when Sumi wasn't there to serve him.

"Surprising how much people want a certain waitress to serve them." Manta stated and sighed, pouring himself a drink.

Hao turned to Manta. "So where is Sumi anyways?"

"She rushed in to tell me that she was taking the day off because her sister was in trouble and then left." Manta informed and Hao jumped up.

"What?" Hao exclaimed.

A stunned face at Hao's outburst is what Hao recieved back. "Yeah... so she went off somewhere."

"Okay, got to go. Later guys!" Hao waved and made his way out the door, leaving Manta and Rio to look at each other a bit confused. _Did something happen?_

He drove straight home, occasionally looking at his cellphone. _Why didn't Liz call me?_ He pulled into the Mitsuki's driveway and got out of his car. Heading up to the door, he rang the doorbell and the maid opened the door. "Hello." She bowed. "How may I help you?"

"Can I come in? I'm looking for Liz or Sumi." Hao said and the girl made room for him to enter.

She whispered. "I don't know if this is a good time to visit. Mrs. Mitsuki is very angry at the moment."

Hao gave a questioning look to the maid, but still walked in. He spotted the lady shouting on the phone, saying some obscure and harsh words about someone. She hadn't notice him yet. "Where's Liz or Sumi?" He whispered back.

The maid pointed upstairs. "Ms. Liz is upstairs at the moment and Sumi..." She paused. "She isn't here..."

"Okay." Hao nodded and started heading up the stairs towards Liz's room. He reached her door and knocked. There was no answer, so he opened the door and walked into her room. She was laying on the bed, but her eyes fluttered open when Hao drew closer.

"Hao?" Her voice sounded drained. "What are you doing here?"

He sat on the side of her bed. "Just came to check up on you. Did something happen? Why are you in bed?"

Liz sat up and threw her arms around him. After she pulled away, she answered. "It's not a big deal. I just have a slight cold right now."

Hao spotted a guy's sweater hanging on a chair. It had Keigo's name embroidered across the back. He pointed to the jacket. "Did something happen?"

Liz sighed and looked hesitant to tell Hao. "After cheerleading, I went to the restroom. I was trapped in the bathroom for the past couple hours. I didn't have my cellphone with me. Somehow Sumi and Keigo found me and brought me back." Liz informed.

Hao was silent. "Liz..." He pulled her into an embrace. "What's up with your mom being angry then?"

Liz's face was grim and said quietly. "When we got back, though I was upstairs, I heard Sumi and her arguing. She told Sumi to get out. I'm not exactly sure what happened..."

"It's okay..." Hao embraced Liz once again.

--

Sumi sat on Keigo's bed, looking through the previous years yearbooks. It seemed that Hao and Yoh, and as well as Anna didn't live here all their life because their pictures weren't in the yearbook during freshmen year. _Hmm... I remember hearing Anna saying that she moved here... I guess I don't know that much about them..._

Keigo walked out of his bathroom, rubbing a towel to his head. He smiled at her, but his face looked slightly flushed.

_I think he got sick..._ Sumi stood up and went up to him, examining his flushing color.

Keigo looked confused at Sumi's action and just smirked. "What is it? A booger on my face?"

She stood on her tip toes and brought the back of the hand to his forehead. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." He pulled her arm down. He stared at her and she saw his eyes become unfocused and then without warning, he collapsed.

"Keigo!" She cried out scared. She dropped down to the floor to shake him. "Are you okay? Keigo!"

His phone went off at that moment and her eyes darted from him to his phone. Scrambling to grab his phone, she picked it up.

"Keigo! Where are you? Are you coming out tonight?" The voice sounded like Takuya, one of the twins.

"Takuya? Keigo just collapsed right now! Help!" Sumi cried out.

She could tell that Takuya wasn't expecting that because there was a stunned silence. "Sumi? What? What happened? Where are you?"

"I don't know! He just fell! We are at his house! What do I do?" She said desperately.

"Just calm down. Is his butler there? I'll be-" The phone was pulled away as Keigo took it into his hand.

With a hand to his head, he was sitting up pressing the phone to his ear. "It's alright Takuya. I'm okay... I just blacked out for a second. I'm fine..." He stood up. "I think I scared her a bit. It's okay... Fine... If you want... See ya." He hung up the phone and looked down at Sumi, who was on the ground staring up at him with wide eyes, confused and still a bit frightened.

He looked down at her with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I'm fine really." He squat back down and put his hand to her cheek. "Thanks though."

Sumi stood up and pulled him to his bed. "Get into bed. You aren't well at all. I think you have a fever." She felt his forehead once again and went to his bathroom. Bringing back a wet towel, she put it on his forehead. Reluctantly, he agreed and got under his sheets. "I'm going to find your butler. I'll be back."

Sumi disappeared from his room and into the hallway looking for the butler. Her bare feet padded against the floor as she descended the stairs. She spotted him dusting some things and bowed. "Um, Keigo isn't feeling well, so do you think you could bring some medicine or soup?"

The butler looked at her curiously and then nodded. "No problem Miss."

"Thanks." She bowed again and headed back upstairs. She sat next to his bed and looked at him. "Your butler is getting some medicine for you."

Keigo nodded. "Thank you."

Sumi scratched her head. "I'm sorry. It's kind of my fault that I ruin your plans with Takuya. And that you got sick..."

He smiled. "Nah! Don't worry about it." He sat up. "I'll be fine after some sleep. Oh, I need to show you the extra bedroom, so that you can stay there." He was about to get out, but Sumi pushed him back. "I'll ask the butler. It's okay."

"Keigo. Sumi. Everything okay now?" Takuya and Toshiro were standing at the door of his room.

Sumi and Keigo turned their heads to see the twins looking at them. "Yeah. I'm good." Keigo replied.

Takuya and Toshiro walked in. "What are you doing here anyways Sumi?" They noticed her outfit, but didn't say anything.

"Long story." She shrugged and saw the butler bring in the medicine and some soup. He handed it to Keigo, who took it gratefully.

"Can you show Sumi the room next door?" Keigo asked the butler before he left and he nodded. Indicating for Sumi to follow him, she got up and left the room.

"Why is she staying over? She isn't going home?" Toshiro asked with a confused glance to his brother.

Keigo swallowed the pill after finishing his soup. "Stuff happened today, so she's staying with me for awhile."

"Oh..." Takuya dropped onto his spinning chair. "Guess you're not going to the meet today then."

"Nope. It's alright." Keigo said. "I'll survive."

Toshiro looked at him. "Cause you finally found her huh?"

"No more searching for me! I'm glad!" Takuya put his hands behind his head.

Keigo gave a small smile. _Too bad that she doesn't remember though..._

--

Anna sat at her desk staring out the window. Sumi's window was facing her, but from what she can tell, there was no one inside. It was past the usual time that Sumi usually sneaked back in, so it was strange to not see Sumi attempting to try to climb back up the wall. She climbed over to her window and sat on the ledge. The rain earlier had made everything damp, so she could feel the cold air blowing past her and into her room.

What was it that she really wanted? Was she really falling for Yoh? If she was, she would have to slap herself to wake up.

Somehow, her personality seems to clash with Yoh's. She was totally different from him. How can he possibly even like her?

Anna sighed. She noticed that Ren has been around her more. She wasn't stupid. She noticed that he has been seeking comfort by talking to her. _Perhaps it has something to do with the ex-girlfriend of his..._ Whatever it was, she hoped that it wasn't going to cause problems in the future for her. She is already stuck in enough problems as it is.

Her parents in the hospital. The two guys coming into the house and trying to terrorize her. Her marriage to Hao Asakura. Something going on with Yoh. The fangirls trying to threaten her at school. Protecting Jeanne... She didn't want to add 'Something going on with Ren' to her list right now. There was just too much on her mind.

_Why were those guys barging into my home anyways?_ She thought back to the day when the car was parked outside. They had came into her house and it seemed like as if they wanted to hold her hostage or something. Luckily, she had taken martial arts when she was younger or else she would be one of those damsel in distress waiting for someone to come and rescue her. Thinking back caused her to chuckle a bit, though it was a scary situation, Yoh had barged in worried, but ended up cracking up when he saw the scene. His face was twisted from worried to surprised to amusement. Him laughing threw her off as well, but she smiled at the thought of him laughing. _He's always smiling anyways..._

Something then hit her as she thought about her problems some more. Perhaps... The incidents that are occuring could be linked together... _My father did say to keep me 'safe' or something of that sort..._ Maybe... Her parents had something going on... Which was why she was engaged to Hao Asakura... Which was why her parents are in the hospital... Which is why the two guys terrorized her home... Maybe... Anna scrunched up her face in thought. _What could my parents do? To be in this position?_ _Business?_ Business people were scary at times. Only competitive minds coud succeed in the business world. So it's a possibility... Or maybe she was just overthinking it because they could not be linked together at all... Anna sneezed and then decided to go back into her room.

Her mother hadn't woken up at all and it's scary. What exactly was going on? She thought back to the first day when she found out that her parents were in the hospital as she hopped onto her bed. She had asked her father, 'Who did this to you?' It was on impulse from the many times she had asked Jeanne, but... perhaps... it was the right question to ask. Her father had looked stunned for a second... but it might have been because that it was a strange question to ask... either that or... she hit the spot... Anna rubbed her head. She was thinking too much. Perhaps sleep would help her.

She hugged her knees to her chest as she looked at the jacket that Yoh had let her borrow earlier when it was raining. She rested her forehead on her knees. _What is Yoh thinking exactly?_ She wished she knew because... somehow she is starting to feel a bit confused when she is around him. Her defenses aren't as strong as it use to be. She hardly gives him back snappy comebacks. She groaned. _I'm lame... What is up with you Yoh?... Actually... What is up with me?_

--

Yoh sat his desk. _Hm... I'm actually hoping this marriage isn't going to go through..._ He leaned back in his chair. _I'm starting to understand more of my feelings for Anna and I realized that I'm falling for her more and more the more I see her..._

Hao knocked on his door and entered the room. Exhausted, he dropped himself on Yoh's bed. "I didn't find any clues to break off this marriage... They're good..." He looked at Yoh, who chuckled at him from his seat. "How are you holding up?"

"Good." Yoh replied.

Hao sat up. "You know, someone once told me." He wet his lips. "If you love someone, say it. Or else the moment passes you by and you'll lose your chance."

Yoh smirked at his brother. "It's not as easy as you say. I think... if I confess right now... I'll scare her away."

"...That might be true too..." Hao laughed. "It's Anna..."

"Yeah, she gets defensive... but it's cute..." He spun in his chair. "Plus... I wouldn't say it's love just yet..."

Hao rolled his eyes in a knowing way. "Okay, if you say so..."

Yoh stopped spinning and laughed. "What?"

"Nothing." Hao rested on the pillow. "I just wanted to say that it's what you think."

"It's true!" His hands went behind his head. "I need to wait for the right time anyways so... this is how it is." _I'll wait for you..._

_I'll wait the time is right to say what I feel for you..._

--

"The first time I saw you, I knew it was true,  
I'd love you forever and that's what I'll do.  
You don't know what you do to me; you don't have a clue.  
You have no idea what it's like to be me, looking at you."

-??

--

Yoh Asakura

Schedule: Math, English, Anatomy, Lunch, P.E., History, Chemistry

Hao Asakura

Schedule: Math, English, History, Lunch, P.E., Psychology, Chemistry

Ren Tao

Schedule: History, English, Anatomy, Lunch, P.E., Math, Chemistry

Horokeu Usui (HoroHoro)

Schedule: Biology, English 4, Math, Lunch, P.E., History, Psychology

Pirika Usui

Schedule: Math, English 3, Drama, Lunch, P.E., Art, Anatomy

Lyserg Diethel

Schedule: Anatomy, English 4, Math, Lunch, P.E., Psychology, Chemistry

Tamao Tamamura

Schedule: Biology, English 3, Drama, Lunch, P.E., Math, History

Anna Kyoyama

Schedule: History, English, Anatomy, Lunch, P.E., Art, Chemistry

Sumi Mitsuki

Schedule: History, English, Math, Lunch, P.E, Dance, Chemistry

Elizabeth(Liz) Mitsuki

Schedule: Math, English, Drama, Lunch, P.E., Psychology, History

Ryo Ishida

Schedule: Chemistry, English, Math, Lunch, P.E., Psychology, History

Keigo Akiyama

Schedule: Math, English, Art History, Lunch, P.E., History, Chemistry

Jeanne

Schedule: Anatomy, English, Math, Lunch, P.E., Art, Psychology


	12. Chapter 12

.: So This is How it is:.

Jeanne stared at Lyserg from afar, watching him sitting and chatting with his friends before the school bell rang to start school. _I can do it. I have to tell him today. I'm going to confess._

The bell rang and she saw him get up and started to walk towards the classroom. She made a move to head towards him, but her legs didn't budge. Her chest felt tight and she realized that she had been holding her breath.

Exhaling, she watched Lyserg entered the school. _I failed... again... Arg..._ She couldn't gather up the courage to go up to him for some reason. And when she does see him up close, all she does is blush. Jeanne rubbed her face. _Arg! I suck!_ _When have I become like this? This me is disappointing... I can't even have a normal conversation..._

"Jeanne? What are you doing just standing here?" A voice came from behind her and she turned around.

Anna stood there, arms crossed and looking at her with a questionable face. "I think the bell just rang."

"Uh yeah." Jeanne smiled, trying to get rid of her butterflies. "Morning Anna."

"Morning Jeanne." Anna greeted. "Come on. Let's go."

Jeanne nodded and followed her. "You know Anna... I wish I have your courage and strength to say and do what you want. I really wish I can be more brave."

Anna looked at Jeanne walking beside her, raising her eyebrow. "It isn't as great as you think sometimes. You are fine as you are. It's what makes you, you."

A giggle sounded from her throat. "You're so great Anna. No wonder everyone likes you." Jeanne poked her arm playfully and made her voice deeper. "Except for that scary vicious exterior cover you have on."

Anna shrugged. "You have Anatomy first period right? How are you doing in the class?"

She shifted her backpack. Lyserg was in the class with her, so she always found herself daydreaming when she least expects it. "The class is cool. I like it. It's just that I'm struggling in it a bit." Jeanne sighed. She really needed to do well or else her parents are going to lecture her and bash on her for not being one of the top students. It's also gotten really competitive because it's senior year as well.

"You can find a tutor if you are struggling a lot. Or you can ask someone in class for help." Anna suggested, understanding her family situation.

They met the corner where they split and both Jeanne and Anna stopped. "Thanks Anna. I'll think about it. I really appreciate you being there for me..." Jeanne waved. "I'll see you later then."

"Okay. Be careful." Anna said and both went off in their separate ways. _Really Jeanne... Please be careful... I can't always be there for you..._

--

Keigo entered English class and spotted Sumi already at her desk, with her arms crossed over the table and head resting on it, deep in thought. Keigo smirked and headed over to his desk. "Miss me already?" He sat backwards on his chair so he faced her.

She looked up blankly then gave a small smile. "Of course."

He chuckled, amused that she was playing along with him. "Feeling okay though?" He leaned down and also rested his arms on her desk.

"I should be asking you that." Sumi stated, staring at him, though she had a slight headache.

He lifted one of his arms so he could rest his chin on the palm of his hand. "I'm better. Just still have a small cold. It'll be gone in no time."

"That's good." She grinned at him as she sat up.

Liz, Hao, and Yoh approached them. "Morning guys!" Yoh said brightly then scanned the room for Anna. When he saw her, his face lit up more than it already was and deciding to head over to her, he pointed to her to indicated that he was leaving.

Sumi nodded with a matching smile as Yoh and saw him head over happily to Anna. She turned back to face Liz and Hao. "Morning."

Liz looked embarassed as she smiled at Sumi, slightly. "Morning." She paused and her smile faded. Looking to Keigo then back to Sumi, she said. "Thanks for yesterday."

"Ah, no problem." She grinned at her sister. "I hope you're feeling better."

Liz nodded. "I feel better." She took off her backpack and opened her bag. Pulling out Keigo's sweater, she held it in her hands for a few seconds before handing it to Keigo. "Thanks Keigo." She said as she looked at him.

He took it back and smirked. "No problem." Giving Hao a smug look, he placed the jacket onto his desk.

Hao just raised his eyebrow at Keigo as he felt his insides twitch. He was really irking him.

Liz looked like she wanted to say more, but she decided not to and just headed over to her seat. Hao looked after her and just followed her, giving Sumi a shrug.

Sumi just watched her curiously at her sudden leave. _I wonder if Liz really is okay..._

"Ah don't worry." Keigo was touching his earring on one of his ears. "She's just embarassed."

"Oh." Sumi looked back at Keigo with a smile. _Sometimes Keigo just knows what to say..._

--

Anna watched from the back as the teacher lectured. She didn't like Keigo at all. He was like Hao, but with a more hot-headed personality. Hao was more calm and cool, she supposed. Keigo was usually rough, arrogant, and harsh towards people. That was the reason why she didn't like him close to Sumi, but...

She saw Keigo turn around to whisper to Sumi when the teacher wasn't looking. Anna rested her chin onto the palm on her hand.

The reason why she hasn't interfered was because Keigo was different towards Sumi. She saw that he was more gentle. He laughed and joked more. Smiled more. Talked more. It was strange... but... she supposed that it was like a mirror reflection of herself.

She was like Keigo. And Sumi was like Yoh. Perhaps that is how she is acting in other people's eyes. Anna closed her eyes. _I think too much..._ Letting out a breath, she felt someone staring at her. Turning to the side, she saw Ren looking at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" He whispered.

Anna rubbed her temple. _Great..._ "Yeah." She muttered. _Since when was he so concerned with me?_

Behind them, Yoh watched with a sigh. _When... is the right time?_

--

The bell rang and lunch time came. Lyserg, HoroHoro, Jeanne, Sumi, and Ryo all had math the previous class so they all left towards the cafeteria together.

"Whoo! It's lunch time! Yes!" HoroHoro exclaimed, estatic to out of the classroom.

Sumi giggled at HoroHoro's outburst as they walked through the hall. "Ah! I'll meet you guys there. I'm going to put things in my locker first!" She stopped and started to run back the opposite direction. She waved.

"Okay!" HoroHoro waved back and kept walking. "I wonder what I should eat for lunch!"

"Whale blubber..." Lyserg said.

HoroHoro made a face. "Hey!"

"Don't you like that?" Lyserg pointed out as Ryo was trying not to make a weird face at the fact.

"Wha-" He blushed. "I only said it was good because my mother made me!" He quickly shouted out.

Jeanne was smiling, but still blushing because Lyserg was there. "Um, I-I'm also going to go to my locker. I'll meet up in a bit." She said quietly.

"Okay." HoroHoro said and nodded at her. He continued trying to convince them that he didn't like whale blubber as Lyserg had said. When they got to the cafeteria, they met up with the others and sat down at their usual table. Lyserg felt for his card, but didn't feel it in his pockets. He sighed and stood up. _How troublesome..._ "I left my card... I'll be back."

They nodded at him and he exited the cafeteria making his way back to his locker. _I hate how far I have to walk..._ Lyserg stretched and yawned as he made his way down the hall.

He suddenly heard a locker slam down one of the halls. "Didn't we tell you enough times? Didn't we teach you enough? Why don't you listen?"

He stopped. It was at the end of one of the halls, where no one walked. _More bullying... _He clenched his fists angrily._ Aren't they too much? Those fangirls..._ He bit his lip and quickly made his way to see the commotion.

_I've seen this scene too many times... All those poor innocent girls... _He stormed up to the circle of girls surrounding one and pulled one of the girl's tie towards him. She was whipped around to face him and he breathed inches from her face. Angrily, he growled. "Don't you guys have enough? Can you stop this already?"

The girl was blushing, but also frightened at the same time as she stared at him with horror that she was caught by him out of all people. "S-s-sorry!" She stuttered out and the girls behind her looked surprised as well.

Releasing her, all of them ran down the hall screaming. Lyserg rubbed his head. They were giving him a headache. He peeked one eye open to look at the victim.

Jeanne stood there with her heart pounding rapidly and uncontrollable red color of her face. She stared at him opening and closing her mouth, trying to think of something to say, but her mind was blank with happiness. _I think I really am falling for him hard..._

He groaned in his head. _Figures she would be here..._ He hit the locker with his fist and she jumped, thrown off. "Can't you just stand up for yourself?" He roared. But then, he just closed his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Come on... Let's go..." Sighing, he started walking back where he came from. He turned to look back at her when he didn't hear movements. She was staring at the ground.

"S-sorry..." She bowed. "But... Thank you..."

_Maybe I was scary..._ He scratched his head. "Come on..."

She ran after him once he started walking again. _I really... really... can't seem to control my emotions anymore... I really really like you right now Lyserg..._

--

Sumi opened her locker and a couple of notes toppled out of her locker and onto the floor. She picked it up and read it. They were hate notes to her.

"Sumi." A voice called out and she turned to see her first period teacher, Mr. Yuu, walking towards her. Hastily, she stuffed all her books and the notes into her locker.

"Hi. Mr. Yuu!" She smiled at him as she closed her locker. "How are you today?"

"Good. Good." He approached her. "How about you?"

"Just fine." Sumi looked at him.

"That's good. You seemed out of it when we were in class so I thought something happened." Mr. Yuu began to walk with her towards the cafeteria.

Sumi held up her hands, waving them. "Ah! No! Everything is fine."

"Well, if ever you need to talk. You can always come to me if there is no one else." Mr. Yuu chuckled. "Though I'm old."

"Thanks!" She beamed. "How are you and Ms. Hamasuki doing?"

This somehow made the teacher flush to a pink color. "What are you talking about? We're just friends."

Sumi giggled. "If you ever need help with anything, I can always help you too."

"I'm a teacher Sumi..." Mr. Yuu looked at her and sighed. "But I guess... we can be friends too..."

"Haha." Sumi chuckled, scratching her head. "Yeah... Sorry."

He smiled at her. "Alright. Get to lunch. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!" She waved and headed towards the cafeteria. _He's a pretty cool teacher..._

--

"Sumi. We heard that you ran away from home!" HoroHoro cried out when she reached the table.

Sumi winced. "Shh!" She held her finger up to her lips. "Not so loud guys."

"Is this true?" Lyserg stood up, looking at her worried.

_I didn't technically run away... I was chased out... but I don't really want to explain..._ She shrugged. "Somewhat?"

"Where did you stay at?" Anna asked. "You could have slept over at my house."

Sumi looked at Liz. _I forgot I live in the same house as Liz... so she probably told them..._ She just chuckled nervously.

Hao slammed his hands onto the table. "Were you with Keigo then? Is that where you slept?"

She scratched her head. "Can we not talk about this now?"

"Just answer the question." Hao stared at her.

Yoh stood up and touched his brother's arm. "Hao, let's talk about this later."

Looking at his brother, Yoh gave him a persuasive look that meant 'Listen to me.' Sitting back down, Hao sighed and they just all resumed back to their food until HoroHoro broke the silence by laughing and flinging food around.

She rubbed her hands. _I know they are worried... But this isn't something I can say so easily..._

--

After school, before they could ask Sumi more about what had happen the previous day, she ran off saying that she had to practice with her group.

HoroHoro humphed then suggested. "Let's all head over to my house guys! Might as well practice right?"

Ren stared at HoroHoro. "He is suggesting that we practice. Am I hearing correctly?"

"Yeah." Lyserg shrugged. "It's so hard with my group to practice..."

"It's cause you have those girls..." Yoh emerged and pointed out. "I guess HoroHoro is getting anxious because it's coming up so fast."

"Am not!" HoroHoro pouted. "We just haven't even decided a song yet. I bet we can get it down in a day."

Ren crossed his arms. "Of course."

Yoh looked at Anna. "Let's go Anna. I'll go with you to visit your father later too."

"Okay..." Anna nodded.

Lyserg decided to leave before they leave. "I guess I'll be going first. See you guys later. If I have time, I'll stop by." He waved and walked off.

Jeanne arrived to see Lyserg walked off and she just watched him disappear from her sights.

"Jeanne!" HoroHoro was waving to her with a shining look.

She walked over with a smile. "Hi."

"We are going to practice. Do you want to come watch?" HoroHoro asked.

Her face appeared as she just remembered something. "Oh you just reminded me. I should be going to practice too..." She bowed. "Thanks though HoroHoro." She smiled at Anna. "I guess I'll see you later Anna." Waving, she also left. "Bye guys."

HoroHoro exhaled as he turned to leave with Ren. "I wish she would stop being so polite to me..." He muttered quietly as they walked to the parking lot.

Liz faced Hao. "I'm sorry, but I have cheerleading practice today too." She hugged him.

"It's alright." Hao nodded. "Just becareful."

Nodding, Liz ran off, giving Hao one last glance. _He's not even trying to spend time with me anymore..._

_Hao... I really care about you... At times please at least be selfish and say 'Don't go to practice...'_

_So I know I'm not just in your way and that you care about me..._

--

"Anna. You're going to sing while we play the instruments." HoroHoro said as they sat in the backyard a few hours later.

Anna jumped up from her seat. "What! Hell no!"

"Aw. Come on Anna. It sounds like a good idea." Yoh was staring at her with large puppy eyes. "Please?"

"What do you think Ren?" He asked Ren, who nodded.

"Sounds good." He replied.

Yoh was begging her with his eyes. "Anna? Anna?"

_Oh great... Stupid Yoh... _She just sat down and grunted, crossing her arms.

"Yay!" Yoh cheered happily and grabbed an orange. "What should Anna sing?"

"How about Cutie Honey!" HoroHoro cried out, then laughed. "I would love to see Anna sing and dance to that!"

Anna bounced up, clenching her fists. "Hey! I agreed to help you guys out by singing, but hell no am I singing some girly song!"

"It's okay Anna. You don't have to." Yoh looked at her. _Though it would be cute to see that..._

Anna sat back down. "Good!" She rested against her seat.

"You should try Meikyū Butterfly by Nana Mizuki. It sounds like something you could sing." Ren's voice sounded as he was petting HoroHoro's dog.

She gave him a glance to see that his full attention was focused on the animal. "Maybe... I'll see if I can do it..."

HoroHoro looked at him with the corner of his eyes then turned back to Anna. Then sudden realization hit him as he hastily twisted his head back to face him.

"Ren, what are you doing?" HoroHoro stared at his friend, who was petting the dog.

His head turned and he stared at him dully. "Nothing, I just gave BoroBoro here some milk."

HoroHoro jumped up. "YOU WHAT?! REN! You know he is lactose intolerant! Aw… Hell No! Walter!" He hastily looked around for the butler. "Walter!"

Ren shrugged and gave the dog one last pat on the head. "You see. Your owner doesn't think milk is good for you. It actually makes you big and strong you know. You should go show him how healthy you are." Ren pointed to HoroHoro's back. "Go."

The happy panting dog followed Ren's hand to HoroHoro and ran after him, barking.

HoroHoro turned when he heard the barking and screamed. "No! Lactose Dog! Walter! Walter! Do something!" He started running around frantically with his dog chasing him happily.

Yoh and Anna's eyes shrunk to dots and a large sweatdrop hung on their heads as they watched HoroHoro run around and wave his arms crazily back and forth around his backyard. _He sure is embarassing..._

--

"Liz."

She heard her name being called and spun around to see Pirika and Tamao. They both had on guilty expressions, so she looked at them curiously. "What's wrong?"

They closed their eyes. "We're sorry. Really sorry." Pirika looked at her sadly. "We helped them lock you in the bathroom."

"We didn't mean to though." Tamao said quickly.

"It's cause we were forced to..." Pirika said quietly, but she knew that it wasn't a good enough reason.

Liz just had her arms crossed and glaring at them. Other than the Hanagumi, she knew she really didn't get along with the other girls. They were nice to her, but she knew that was because she was Hao's girlfriend. She was learning a lot of things in this school and it was somewhat changing her. At the previous school, she was the prettiest and most popular, but here she saw that just because she was beautiful, people weren't going to give in to her as easy. Liz then sighed and let her hands dropped. "If I were you, I think I would do the same..."

Pirika bowed her head. "We're really sorry."

She waved it off. "Don't worry about it." It was the first time that she was so forgiving. Perhaps she could make them into her friends, so she pointed at them. "If you want to be entirely forgiven... Treat me to some yogurt." Liz smiled.

Tamao giggled. "That's not how I expected you to react."

Pirika nodded, grinning. "Sure. After practice."

--

They stared at Anna in shock with their mouths hanging open. Ren was the first to recover as he stood up straight and scratched his head.

Yoh was beaming so brightly that he could have wiped the earth with his smile. HoroHoro was so astonished that he opened his mouth and closed it several times before he could actually speak. "Anna! What the hell!" He shouted breathlessly.

"You were... amazing..." Ren finally said.

"Why didn't you tell us that you have such a powerful voice?" Yoh grinned.

Anna was blushing hard. She made a face. They had made her sing to try out the song, but she didn't expect them to react this way. "I never thought it was good..."

"Okay!" HoroHoro raised a fist into the air. "We are so going to rock the stage!"

"HoroHoro is excited... surprisingly..." Ren pointed out. His heart was beating fast. Anna's voice was just so... so... wow... _She surprises me all the time..._

--

Liz walked with Pirika and Tamao into the yogurt store. It was filled with students as usual, even late at night. Their practice had ended pretty late today because their coach had insisted they keep at it until they get it right. Thus after changing and showering, it was night time before they knew it. They made their order and sat down by the window eating their yogurt. "So why did you guys help them?"

Pirika looked embarassed. "If we didn't they were going to bully us. That's why we are in their fan club. In exchange, we help them carry out their plans."

"What kind of plans?" Liz licked her spoon.

Tamao spoke up. "Mainly to find out things about Hao, Yoh, and the others."

Pirika nodded in agreement. "And their bullying."

_Hao..._ _I realized that I don't know that much about you... _Liz looked lost in thought for a second then smiled at them. "What kind of things do you guys know about Hao?"

Pirika's eyes sparkled. It was her favorite topic. "Well. Hao and Yoh moved here their second year of high school. They were a big hit to the school and everyone was at their feet like no other." Pirika giggled. "Hao began his reign with his high grades and flirtacious personality. So he had quite a few girlfriends... but we noticed that he always broke up with them after a while. So technically, he never really loved any of his past girlfriends."

Pirika rubbed her chin. "Til this day, Mika never found out what Hao really wants..."

Liz's face fell. _He never really loved any of his past girlfriends..._ The words repeated in her head. _Am I the same?_

"Oh, we know he really likes stars though. Don't know why." Pirika stated. "Him and Yoh use to act and model for commercials and magazines when they were little. I saw some and they were so cute!" She gushed, then covering her mouth. "Oh it's suppose to be a secret though, so don't say anything."

Liz giggled. "Okay."

"There was a rumor that Hao's first love was when he was little with a girl he became friends with, but then she passed away." Pirika shrugged. "I'm not sure if that is true or not."

_That would be tragic..._ Liz smiled sympathetically, then looked to the window and saw Sumi entering the restaurant across the street carrying things and wearing what looked like a uniform. "Is that Sumi?"

Pirika looked out the window along with Tamao. "Yeah. It is. I saw her there yesterday too."

Liz stood up. "Let's go see."

"Uh, okay." Tamao got up and so did Pirika. They followed Liz across the street and into the restaurant. Liz peeked around as well as Pirika and Tamao. _Maybe I can find out what she had been up to to cause her to climb through her window every night..._

"How many people are dining today?" A voice came behind them and they jumped.

Liz whipped around. "Uh, three. May I ask have you seen a girl about this high with brown color hair? She came in about a few minutes ago? Her name is Sumi?"

The waitress sighed. "Yes. Let me lead you to your table. What's up with everyone asking for her?" She looked at Liz. "You guys are going to overwork her."

Liz followed her confused. _Overwork her? Don't tell me... She entertains people? No... Wait a second... _She looked around to make sure she was in a restaurant, but she also saw that there were a lot of men in this restaurant. She sat down and the waitress nodded. "Just hold on for a second."

Liz gave a look over to Pirika and Tamao who stared back at her. Sumi suddenly appeared at their table, holding up a pad and pen. She looked surprised to see them there. "Hi guys!"

_A waitress... I see... Wait... Why?_ Liz looked confused to see Sumi. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... I'm working." Sumi replied with a smile. "What would you guys like to eat today?"

Pirika and Tamao looked at their menu, trying to decide. Liz just continued staring at Sumi. "Why?" _We have money... We aren't poor... For what reason do you need to go out and work?_

She looked confused. "Because... you are hungry? And this is a restaurant?"

Liz was about to say something, but someone called out to Sumi and she turned. Nodding, she faced back to Liz. "Just call me when you are ready. I have to go help them." She smiled and bowed, then ran off to the other table.

She watched Sumi run back and forth between tables. She saw that one of the tables had Yuna and a man with a few other guys. _Yuna?_ She looked over to Pirika and Tamao. "Hey guys look." She pointed.

Fear seemed to overtake their expression. They looked at each other and then around, then back at Liz.

_I guess there is a lot that I don't know..._ Liz bit her lip and then glance down at her menu. _What's going on?_

"How about I take over for Sumi? She's kind of buzy." A familiar voice said and Liz looked up to see Ryo. _Huh?_

"What? You work here too?" Liz had on the most bewildered face he had ever seen.

Ryo nodded. "Yeah. Is that surprising?"

Both Pirika and Tamao were on the side nodding their heads. Liz just shrugged. "A bit."

"Sumi just has too many customers requesting her, so it's a bit crazy for her. I hope you don't mind that I take over for her." Ryo said.

"Not at all." Liz replied.

He turned his head to glance over to Sumi, but he saw that after Sumi had put down the plate in front of Ikuto, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap. "Damn it! He's harassing her again." Ryo quickly bowed. "Please excuse me for a second." He rushed over to the table where Yuna sat.

Liz had her mouth open. _I guess I really don't know anything..._ She watched as Ryo pulled Sumi out of his lap and bowed to him, saying some words that she couldn't hear due to their distance. _Who is that guy that Yuna is with? _Her eyes shifted to Pirika and Tamao. _They are frightened by him..._

"Yo!" Hao stood at the side of the table.

"Hao? What are you doing here?" Liz asked. He sat down beside Liz and across from them, Liz could see Pirika giving Tamao a shake to the arm and a silent squeal of excitement.

"My friend owns this place." He said and she saw him give a quick look to the table where Yuna sat then back to her.

Liz questioned him. "Did you know Sumi and Ryo worked here?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I found out one day when I saw them in here."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked firmly.

Hao squinted at her. "I promised not to tell anyone. No one asked so it wasn't a problem. It's not a big deal anyhow."

Liz felt frustrated because she didn't have a slight clue about what was going on. "You should at least tell me. She's my sister."

"Therefore I thought that it was better that she told you herself." Hao said. "People have certain things they want to keep to themselves you know."

Liz exhaled. "What's Yuna doing here then?"

Hao shrugged. "Who knows."

"Who's that guy?"

He shrugged again. "I'm not exactly sure."

Liz breathed. _The atmosphere feels tense...Not between me and Hao, but somewhere..._

"It's kind of late... What are you doing here so late?" Hao looked at her.

"We were getting yogurt and-" Tamao started.

"And then we got hungry." Liz finished. "So we came across the street."

"Oh. Well, you better get your food because they close soon." Hao said. "Did you order yet?"

Liz shook her head. "Nope, not yet."

Hao looked around for Ryo, who was talking to Manta and indicated for him to take Liz's order. Nodding, Ryo came over and wrote down what they wanted. The waitress who was singing came off the stage and the customers who Sumi were serving began ushering her to go on stage and perform.

With hesitation and reluctance, Sumi gave in with a sigh and went on stage to play the piano.

Liz watched her sister perform on stage. _Is this how her life is? What does she do to make people so aware of her?_

A plate came down before her and she snapped out of her thoughts. "Here's your food Liz."

"Thanks." She smiled at Ryo, who was handing Pirika and Tamao their food.

After a few more minutes, Sumi stood up off the chair and bowed. The crowd clapped and she walked off stage with a small smile. Ikuto was standing up from his seat and smirking at her. He grabbed her arm when she was about to walk past him and held her wrist. Pulling her close to him, he whispered. "That was great."

For the first time in her life, she felt very uneasy being so close to him. "Thanks." She muttered and took a step back, but his grip was firm, so he didn't release her arm.

"Hao." Liz turned to look at her boyfriend, but to see that he was gone already. Whipping her head back to watch Sumi, she saw that Hao, Ryo, and Keigo stood behind her.

"I really hate to say this to a customer, but may you please stop harassing her?" Ryo growled.

Hao looked at Keigo standing beside him. "When did you get here?"

With a smug look, Keigo smiled thoughtfully. "Just now."

"My my. There's so many of you." Ikuto grinned joyfully. "For this little girl here?" He raised his eyebrow. "You too Keigo?" He licked his lips. "Don't tell me you know that this is her..."

Hao gave a quick glace at Keigo, but he kept his bored confident smile. "Ikuto, what are you talking about?"

Sumi looked confused as she looked at Keigo. Ryo and Hao both had the 'no-idea-what-they-are-talking-about' look as they watched them. She attempted to pull out her wrist, but there was no success.

"Don't think I don't know... After all... They were the ones who interfered..." He then closed his eyes and threw up his arms. "However, it made things the way they are now, so I'm not disappointed. It kind of gives me a slight advantage." Chuckling at the disappearance of Keigo's smug look, Ikuto faced Hao. "Hao Asakura... Oh Hao Asakura... I've seen you watching me. Still haven't figured out who I am?" He sighed. "Well, technically I have nothing to do with you... It's just you're a useful piece in my game."

"What game?" Hao asked, irritated.

"You'll see. You'll see." Ikuto now looked at Ryo, raising his eyebrow. "Hmm..."

A guy whispered in his ear and Ikuto smiled. "Oh?" He laughed entertained. "Ryo Ishida eh?"

Ryo glared. _Is he taunting me or something?_

"I can't wait for your performance. Oh man. I'm excited about how everything is going to turn out now."

"You know who I am?" He bit his lip.

Ikuto laughed. "Of course. I know a lot of things." He looked down at Sumi and pursed his lips. "Let's see what happens then."

Hao looked at Ryo. _What is he talking about?_

Releasing her, Ikuto threw a wad of bills onto the table. "Ciao! Til next time."

Yuna was looking at Keigo and he looked at her suspiciously. _She's up to something I bet..._ They turned away from them and headed towards the exit.

Keigo watched Ikuto walk out the door. _Damn him... _He spotted Hao, glancing at him and Ryo, wanting answers. Ignoring him, he looked at Sumi, who was rubbing her wrist looking at the ground, deep in thought. _She's okay..._ Walking up to her, he touched her hair resting off her shoulder. She looked at him surprised. "I'll wait until you get off alright?"

She nodded then started to clear the table, resuming her work.

Hao felt a spark of jealously. _Eh... What's wrong with me? I have a girlfriend..._ He grabbed Keigo's arm. "What was Ikuto talking about?"

Keigo pushed his arm off. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't concern you." He walked over to the bar and sat down.

Hao turned to Ryo. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm guessing you aren't going to tell me either."

"Hell. I don't even know what's going on." Ryo shrugged. "I have to go back to work. Later Hao."

"Wait." Hao grabbed Ryo's arm. "Just who are you?"

Ryo hesitated. "I'm Ryo. We'll talk about this later. I'm still working." Pushing him off, Ryo walked away.

Hao clenched his fist. _Just what the hell is going on?_

Liz was watching him from afar, wearing a sad expression. She spotted him looking back at her, so she quickly turned back to her food. _Hao..._

Pirika and Tamao shared a concern look then gazed back to Liz. She was hurting. They could tell. Pirika looked at Tamao once more. _What do we do?_

Tamao shrugged making an unsure expression. _I don't know..._

Hao made his way over to them. He sat down and closed his eyes. His heart felt unsettled. It was uncomfortable.

Liz spoke up. "Hao, I'm done here. Is it okay if you take me home?"

There was a slight hesitation and then a nod. "Sure." Hao gazed over to Sumi and then to Keigo. Liz followed his eyes and looked at Keigo. _What does she do to make them care for her so much? _

Pirika and Tamao also turned to see what they were looking at, so they also stared at Keigo. _This caring side of Keigo... _Pirika thought back to when she first entered the school as a first year. Her brother was a year ahead of her so he was already in the school. She remembered that Keigo was the talk amongst the girls, but he had a very cold personality. _He's still very cute... despite his personality... That's what everyone said._ She agreed with that. When Hao and Yoh arrived, Keigo didn't die down just went into a more hushed conversation.

Keigo noticed the four of them watching him, so he just raised his eyebrow at them. _What... Why are they staring at me?_

Hao looked back to Liz, breaking his gaze at Keigo. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Liz stood up, pushing her plate away.

"Do you guys need a ride home?" Hao asked looking at Pirika and Tamao. The girls shook their heads at him.

"It's okay. Thank you." Pirika said.

Hao touched Liz's shoulder. "Okay then. We'll see you guys later." He followed Liz to the exit and saw Sumi waved to them when she caught their eye. Smiling, he waved back and left with Liz.

--

Yoh stood with Anna outside her door. He was grinning sheepishly at her.

"What?" She glared.

"Nothing." A lopsided smile.

She frowned. "You can go home now you know."

Yoh just smiled at her, then looked at the sky stretching his arms out towards the stars. "Your dad is so funny! I mean my dad is too, but..." He turned and looked at her happily.

Her heart just bounced twice. _Control... Control..._ She thought to herself.

"He sure likes to tease you alot." Yoh laughed.

_He smiles so much... and so far... he hasn't stopped yet..._ Anna stared. _Is that normal?_

He suddenly walked up to her and she unconsciously backed up. Not noticing her movements, Yoh just grabbed her hands.

Anna fought to restrain herself from blushing at his touch. _What is this stupid guy doing?_

He leaned close to her face grinning like no other. "You know Anna..." He turned his head a little. "I'm so glad I met you!" Then he released her hands and ran out towards the street waving to her as he chuckled.

_??_ Anna shook herself from her dazed look. "What the hell does that mean Asakura?!" She shouted, but he was already crossing the street.

She humphed and crossed her arms, staring angrily at his small figure disappearing. Slowly, the edge of her lips curved into a smile. _I'm glad I met you too..._ "I suppose..." Turning towards the door, she walked into her house with her heart fluttering a little. _Yoh Asakura... Slowly... I'm starting to understand you..._

--

Pirika and Tamao both got up and headed over to Keigo. Sitting beside him at the bar, Pirika looked at him drinking the smoothie he ordered. _He's so cute up close..._

He spotted her with the corner of his eyes. "What?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you could tell me what's going on." Pirika asked, gazing at him.

He scoffed and faced her with a secretive smile. "You should go home. Girls shouldn't be out so late. Plus, this is my business, you don't need to know so much." His eyes wandered over to Sumi, who was now talking to Manta. "You'll be safer if you don't know." He stood up and made his way over to her.

Pirika glanced at Tamao, who nodded at her.

"-I think it's better if you don't come to work tomorrow. We don't want you to be constantly bothered. Maybe another day break will cool those people off." Manta suggested.

"But-"

"I agree." Ryu rubbed his chin. "With a pretty girl like you, it's rather unsafe, especially since he's been coming on a daily basis now."

"Yeah. Just take another day off." Manta smiled. "Your safety is more important than business."

Sumi grinned back. "Thanks."

Keigo stood behind her. "That's right. I say you should watch out for him anyways. He's rather dangerous."

Sumi turned to look at him. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm not too sure myself. We'll talk later." Keigo touched her shoulder. "Are you done?"

"Yeah. Make sure she's okay." Ryu winked and blew a kiss at him. "Have fun!"

Keigo stared at him. "..."

Manta then started laughing awkwardly. "Forgive him. He's a bit strange at times."

He managed a nod and then took Sumi's wrist and pulled her towards the door. "Okay then. Thanks."

"Keigo..."

He glanced at her when he was walking. "Hm?"

"I can go back by myself you know. So you don't have to take out your time to come pick me up and stuff."

"Yeah, I know. I just feel better doing this. So leave it like this." Keigo said as they made their way towards the parking lot to Keigo's car.

Sumi nodded at him and then looked in front of them.

A car door opened and Keigo stopped. An eerie silence. Nothing moved at that moment, then slowly someone stepped out of the car. There was chuckling heard. "Keigo, you sure take a while. I was waiting for you." Ikuto smiled at them.

His hand clenched Sumi's wrist tighter, but his voice came out calm and confident. "What for?"

"Oh you know. I just wanted to have a nice friendly chat with you." Ikuto walked closer to them and his two men appeared behind them.

They roared and ran towards Keigo, arms wide open. Letting go of Sumi, he jumped in to defend them.

_You call this a friendly chat? _Sumi was about to whirl around to face Ikuto, but without warning, she felt a sharp blade pressed against her throat. _Eh... This can't be good right?_

Keigo saw this and made an attempt to run towards her, but the two men took this opportunity to grab his arms and force him down to his knees. Keigo glared. "What's the meaning of this?"

Ikuto had his arm around Sumi with a blade against her neck. "It's a test." He whispered into her ear.

_Huh?_ Sumi bit her lip and looked at Keigo. He looked angry, yet calm, however his eyes had a flicker of fear.

"In this world. Everyone is selfish. They are greedy. They don't care who they hurt as long as they get what they want am I right?" He whispered. "In this world. People make inconsiderate decisions and take away everything, making people suffer, don't they?"

_What is he talking about? _Sumi was about to ask, but he continued.

"If I can make them suffer the way my family suffered, wouldn't that be great?" He murmured softly. "The streets are a dark path. You see things that are inhumane. Harsh. Violent. This world is unfair... It can never be fair... Keigo had walked this path. He saw things that aren't meant for him to see, heard things that aren't meant for him to hear. An innocent child, swallowed up by darkness."

"Ikuto! What are you saying to her? Answer my question!" Keigo growled from where he was at.

Ignoring him, Ikuto continued whispering, knowing that Keigo can't hear him. "This child's life brought about many deaths, including his parents..." Sumi's eyes widened a bit. "However, another innocent life showed him kindness and compassion and created a chain reaction, making him survive until this day. I would love to kill him... but the time isn't right... I need to make him suffer. Feel continuous pain."

Sumi's chest felt tight. _This guy... has so much anger... His voice sounds painful and strained..._

"Ikuto!" Keigo shouted.

His eyes flickered to Keigo. "I would let her go. If you promise... to destroy the Asakuras."

Keigo gritted his teeth. _Stupid... He knows I won't..._

Sumi took this chance. She elbowed him hard and he dropped his knife. It fell to the ground with a clank. _Phew... at least it didn't jolt and stab me instead..._ Sumi stomped on his foot and his arm around her, dropped. Acting fast, she kicked him in the stomach and moved further away from him.

Keigo spun and pulled himself out of their grip and tripped them, then darted to Sumi's side. "Are you okay?"

She smiled up at him. "Never better." Crossing her arms, she looked at Ikuto clutching his stomach.

"Damn you..." He groaned.

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." She quoted and then gave him a pitiful look. "Why the Asakuras?"

"They can go rot in hell! Despicable human beings!" Ikuto stood up looking furious. "People dirty this world. There is no kindness. There is no comfort. Humans disgust me." He spat out. "They're fake. They lie. There is so much evil."

The man before her looked so torn and twisted with hatred. Sumi could only watch him glower at them, disgusted by them. He then suddenly laughed. "Ha! And love." He said slowly. "Does it really exist in this world? It brings the downfall of people." He smirked. "The source of destruction."

_I should do something..._ Sumi took a step forward, but Keigo grabbed her arm, shaking his head.

Ikuto then motioned to his men. "I'll find you next time Keigo." He grumbled then they disappeared. Behind the wall, both Pirika and Tamao were watching with wide eyes.

--

Sumi sat in the music room after school. Her thoughts wandered back to the night before as she sat in front of a piano.

She wanted and explanation, but Keigo didn't really tell her what was going on. He had said that when the time was right, she would know. She sighed.

Her fingers flowed over the keys, pressing each gently before the gentle tune was combined with her voice. Her lone voice echoed in the empty music room, allowing her to sing as loud as she wanted.

Lyserg strolled down the hall, biting his lip. _Was I too harsh?_ The few minutes before had been a very uncomfortable situation for him. Jeanne had finally build up the courage and confessed to him. It was what he feared the most.

_"L-Lyserg..." Jeanne called out to him, gripping the bottom of her shirt tightly. 'Don't stutter Jeanne...' She told herself. Taking a deep breath, she watched Lyserg stop and turn around. There was this look in his eyes as if he wanted to escape. 'You can stop right now Jeanne.' Her thoughts rambled unsurely as they argued with each other._

_'But...'_

_'His eyes show absolute rejection...'_

_'I finally got the chance to say this though...'_

_'You know what he's going to say though...'_

_'I should at least hear it straight from him right?'_

_'You won't be hurt if you don't hear his words...'_

_'How would I know what he feels then?'_

_'...'_

_'Jeanne.'_

_'Fine... Stay calm and no regrets... Don't say I told you so...'_

_'Okay. Be calm.'_

_Jeanne took another deep breath. "I like you Lyserg!" Her chest suddenly felt a bit lighter now that she finally was able to say it. However, her heart was still pounding rapidly. "I like you Lyserg... for a while now..."_

_Lyserg frozed. An image passed through his head and a split second later, for some odd reason, he snapped._

Lyserg grabbed his hair frustrated. _I was way worse than harsh. I practically ripped any bit of her confidence or courage she had left apart..._ He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. _I'm too cruel..._ He remembered he was breathing heavily and she stood there mouth hanging open in shock and then turning to run away. He gave a snort. "Didn't expect that huh?" His smirk faded. _I didn't either..._

He started walking again and then heard a piano playing. It was a nice tune. As he went closer to the music room, he heard a voice.

"...fukuzatsu ni karamawatteru mainichi no naka... honto wa nakitai no ni tsuyogatteta ne..."

He pushed open the door and saw none other than Sumi singing. (She's singing Sincerely- Ever Dream /watch?vujLKZHKJxu4)

When she finished, he was just staring deep in thought. Sumi looked up and saw Lyserg, standing there in the doorway, looking dazed. "Lyserg?"

His head snapped up when he heard his name and he forced a smile. "That was good." He walked towards her and stood by the piano, resting his arm against it. "You should sing more often."

Sumi just gave a small smile in return and then it was replaced with concern. "Are you alright? Did something happen?"

Lyserg knew his smile was strained and he probably didn't pull it off well enough. He was never good at being able to lie, especially with false happiness. He let his fake smile disappear and just slumped down on the piano chair beside Sumi. "Yeah..." Sumi was like Yoh in a way, so it felt so comfortable just talking freely.

She turned around and sat facing the same direction as him. "Must be a girl..."

Lyserg nodded and leaned against his knees. "I rejected Jeanne." He spoke down to the ground.

"Oh." Sumi pulled up her knees. "Do you regret it?"

He exhaled. "It's just that I blew up. Said some nasty things that I shouldn't have said. I... I was too much. A simple rejection would have been okay... But I kind of went crazy..."

Sumi looked at the back of his head. "Why?"

Lyserg hesitated and then after a long pause, he spoke. "It was something that happen a while back. Right before I met Yoh and Hao." He grasped his hands together. "I use to be in a choir when I was younger. I loved to sing..." He stopped, but then quickly continued. "But the rest were jealous of me or something like that. So they got this innocent looking girl, kind of like Jeanne..."

"...You don't expect those kind of people to ever do something so cruel to you..." He mumbled, almost inaudible.

He gripped his hands tighter and he breathed in. "So she confesses to me. Later I find a sandwich and a note saying something that I don't really remember with hearts, but I threw it away... I happen to take out the sandwich during one of our breaks when our teacher was gone."

He shut his eyes. "When I took a bite and swallowed, I was choking and coughing. I looked around for someone to help me, but no one moved. My throat hurted and my voice couldn't come out clearly between my coughs. They all just stared and began telling me all these things I didn't know."

"Luckily, Yoh was passing by the room and saw me. He ran in, yelling and everything." Lyserg opened his eyes and said quietly. "It was the first time I met Yoh... but I didn't see him again for a long while..."

He looked at Sumi. Another pause. "I found out that there was glass in the sandwich when I was at the hospital. It was their way of taking out their anger and jealously... by destroying me."

Sumi's eyes were large. "Did you tell the police?"

He scoffed. "They couldn't do anything. None of them would confess... And they wouldn't take fifty underaged kids to jail..."

She touched his arm. "Lyserg..." She said quietly.

"When I saw Jeanne... the scene replayed and I guess I got scared." He muttered. "I acted without thinking and... probably... hurted her alot..."

"It's okay..." Sumi murmured softly. "Just find the right time to talk to her... And say that it wasn't meant to hurt her..."

There was silence. "You know..." He whispered so quietly that she could barely hear him. "It hurts that... people can do such things..."

--

When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.

-?


	13. Chapter 13

.: So This is How it is:.

Jeanne once again stood in the courtyard before school started watching the other students. It was different from the day before. Her heart wasn't pounding nervously and anxiously with her stomach filled with butterflies. Instead, her heart was aching painfully. She didn't want to be there at school. She felt like running, running far away. Far away from this place.

Jeanne was sitting on a bench under a tree as she looked down into her lap and wet her lips. She touched her eyes and wondered if her eyes were puffy. She had spent the whole night crying when she was finally able to be alone in the privacy of her own room. It was hard trying to keep a straight face to her parents until then. A sigh escaped from her throat. _Lyserg isn't the type to go blab about what happened right? I mean I haven't heard about all the girls he rejected except when they come to school crying and expose it themselves._

_So if I act normal then everything will go on like how it use to be right? ... Unless someone heard or seen it._

Her fists clenched up and she bit her lip. Shutting her eyes, she tried to force herself to be calm. _What if I see him? What would I do?_

"Jeanne, are you alright?" A voice made her jump.

Her head flicked around to see Anna staring at her with concern. "O-oh. Hi Anna." Her voice accidently cracked.

"Is something wrong?" Worry showed in her tone. Anna walked up until she was standing beside her.

Jeanne stood up and forced a smile. Shaking her head lightly, she answered. "Nope. How about you?"

Anna's eyes scanned her face, and for a few seconds Anna didn't say anything. Just looked so serious that it was intimidating.

_Is she trying to read my mind?_ Jeanne looked around nervously then lightly giggled. "Uh Anna? Are you not feeling well?"

Anna seemed to suddenly realize that she hadn't said anything and smiled. "Oh, no I'm fine." Her face expression fell to a concerned look and she stated quietly. "You know Jeanne, if you need to talk I'm always here. You know that."

Jeanne laughed. "Anna, you are indescribable." _Figured Anna would be able to tell, no matter what I do._ A small sad smile emerged and she answered. "I'll tell you later. I'm not sure if I can do it now."

"Okay. I'm ready whenever you are." Anna replied, feeling more comforted that at least Jeanne was going to tell her and not keep it to herself.

She nodded and together they walked towards the building. They entered the hallways with the all the student bustling around, trying to get to class. They stopped at the intersection where they split and Anna looked at her, giving her a comforting look.

"Don't think about it too much. Don't look so down." Anna smiled. "There's always an upside to everything. Smile Jeanne." She crossed her arms. "As an idiot once said, 'You never know who could be falling in love with your smile.'"

Jeanne chuckled and nodded. "Thanks Anna. I'll see you later." She turned around and headed down the hallway that led to her classroom. She only walked a few steps when she abruptly stopped. A tall green-haired boy stood out from the heap of students walking the hallway. _Oh crap! I have class with him! _Her heart pounded rapidly and she panicked. _I can't go to class!_ She turned around and flew towards the other direction. "Anna!"

The blond haired girl turned around surprised as Jeanne appeared before her, face paled and breathing hastily. "What's wrong Jeanne?"

"That later is now. I need to talk to you." Jeanne grabbed Anna's hand and dragged her towards the garden.

Anna didn't resist, but stated. "But Jeanne, what about class?"

"I can't go to class right now." Jeanne said firmly and then apologized. "I'm sorry Anna, but is it okay if I'm not alone right now?"

Anna nodded. "I'll be here."

"Thanks." Jeanne made her way around the garden and sat down in a bench.

Anna looked at Jeanne's expression and sat down beside her as the bell sounded behind her. Jeanne's face now had fell into a solemn look and she shut her eyes, concentrating on breathing. "Jeanne?"

Without warning, arms flew around Anna's neck and Jeanne was sobbing at her side, mumbling and trying to explain with her muffled voice. Anna patted her back and tried to be as comforting as she could as she listened to her explain what happened.

-----------------------------------

Ren sat behind Sumi listening to the teacher lecturing. Before him, Sumi was taking notes intensely, scribbling into her notebook nonstop. Ren yawned and his eyes flickered over to Anna's seat. It was still empty. He had seen Anna come to school with Yoh and Sumi, so he was pretty sure that she was on campus, but why didn't she come to class? She didn't seem like the type to ditch.

_Did something happen to her?_ Ren leaned on his desk. _Could she be trapped somewhere? _He stared at the back of Sumi's head. _Nah, she is too crazy to let anything happen to her._ Yoh had told them that Anna had took down two big guys once before and once even his grandmother's bodyguard.

His eyes shifted to the girl beside Sumi. He believed her name was Ayame or something. But she wasn't doing anything interesting either, just typically looking at her nails with a notebook laid out before. He looked at her notebook and sweatdropped. Hao's name was scribbled in as well as various descriptions about him. Just then she turned the page back to the front and it looked like a table of contents. Ren wrinkled his brow, it had all their names in it. _What stalkers..._

Ren looked at the guy sitting beside him. He had his arms crossed and his head drooped down to show that he was sleeping. A mischievious thought crossed his mind and he leaned towards him to see if he really was sleeping. Ren pinched his nose closed and the guy snorted, trying to get air.

He muffled a chuckle and glanced up at the board. had gave him a quick look as he was lecturing. Ren leaned back against his seat. _I guess I shouldn't mess with him with the teacher watching..._

_I should try it on HoroHoro one day..._ Ren laughed to himself inwardly, imagining his reaction.

A few more minutes passed and once again Ren was bored. He sprawled himself over his desk and stared blankly at the teacher, who was still jabbering on about stuff he didn't care about. His hand was sticking off the table inches away from Sumi's hair. Unconsciously, he reached out and touched a few strands of her hair.

"Ren Tao. What is the answer?"

He dropped her hair and brought his hand under his chin, glancing back up at . He was watching him intensely, waiting. _Is he waiting for me to get in trouble?_

Sumi and Ayame turned around to look at him. Ren caught Sumi mouthing something and immediately repeated it without thinking. "1791."

He saw furrow his brow and then eyed Sumi, who probably was smiling back at him because she had turned back around. The teacher's face relaxed, but gave a disapproving look to Ren. "Correct."

Ren crossed his arms and frowned. He suddenly formed a few assumptions as he continued watching the teacher. _Either he is watching me or Sumi. He hardly turns away from this side of the room. I bet he's waiting for me to do something..._

The time continued ticking on by slowly for Ren until finally the bell rung, ending class. _Finally!_ Ren shoved his things into his backpack and stared at Sumi, waiting for her.

Ayame, seeing that Ren was still there, decided to seize the chance to talk to him. "Hi Ren!" She popped up beside him in a sing song voice. Her grin was wide and she batted her eyelashes up at him. "Let's go to class together!"

Her voice was too energized and Ren raised his eyebrow at her. "You can go on ahead. I'm waiting for Sumi." He said, hoping that she would get the hint.

Sadly her grin only became wider. "That's okay! I'll wait too!" Ayame sparkled as she answered happily. "You know, I really like your eyes Ren."

Ren clenched his fist. _No freaking way... How does Hao deal with this all the time?_ He ignored her comment and turned to see Sumi staring at him blankly, waiting for him. "You done?"

Sumi spotted Ayame glittering beside him and she giggled. Turning around, she starting walking towards the door. "I'll see you later Ren!"

He felt his face turn blue as he heard a squeal of excitement sounded beside him and something clamped onto his arm. _Hell no Sumi, you aren't doing this to me... You can't leave me alone with... this... this..._ Grabbing his backpack with one hand and swinging it over his shoulder, he stormed after her, ignoring the extra weight on his arm. "Get back here Sumi!"

Ren dashed out of the classroom, furiously scanning the hallway for her. _I swear I'm going to kill her if she leaves me alone with..._

"Did you really think I was going to leave you?" She laughed. "You were the one waiting for me."

Ren glared at her and then shifted his death glare to Ayame clinging onto his arm. "Why are you touching me? Don't hang on to me like that."

She dropped her hands immediately, but clamped them together and fluttered her eyes at him happily. "Sorry... I'll do anything you say."

He gave a frustrated sigh and growled, making his way down the hall.

Sumi was walking after him, but she turned her head to see Ayame floating after him with a dreamy look on her face. _Hmm... Did Ren do something to her?_ She watched Ayame with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment.

Ren stopped without warning, causing Sumi to impale her nose into his back.

"Ah." Sumi scrunched up her face and rubbed her nose. "Why did you stop all of a sudden?"

She opened her eyes to see Ren standing beside Ayame, leaning into her.

Ren breathed close to Ayame's face. "Stop following and stay." He ordered firmly yet breathlessly. Adding to the effect, he lightly touched her cheek and he felt her shudder under his touch. Smirking, Ren turned swiftly away.

Behind him, Ayame was bright red and frozen in place. _No... way... He did... not... just touch ... me...._

_She looks like she just lost her soul..._ Sumi was standing there, blinking at Ayame's frozen posture. _There must be something wrong with her..._ She was about to make her way to shake her out of her daze, but Ren just suddenly pushed her towards the direction of their classroom.

"Let her be." Ren stated.

"Did you just suck out her soul or something?" Sumi asked bluntly.

He gave her the strangest look. _I guess that's one way to put it..._ "Perhaps. Just forget about it."

"You know she is in our class too right?" Sumi pointed out.

Ren shrugged, not caring. "So?"

"Are you just going to leave her there?" She stared at him.

A rough answer came. "Yes. Now let's go. She can find her way to the room." Ren let out a breath of air, looking at her with a frustrated expression.

Sumi made a face and just turned back towards the other direction.

_Freaking Sumi... Why can't she be simple like the other girls?_ Ren frowned and quickly whipped around to grab her arm. There was no shudder or anything, just a pitiful look from her eyes. _I have no effect on her like Anna._ _That means, she won't listen to me._ "What are you doing?"

"Going to get her before she stands there all day." She informed. "You know, you shouldn't do that."

Ren could feel all eyes watching him as everyone passed by them. _Annoying._ He released her arm. "Do what?"

"Suck out her soul. You guys have no mercy, especially Hao."

_Interesting choice of words..._ Ren rubbed his face. "You're pitying the ones that bully you." He pointed out. The hall was starting to empty out now. They were going to be late if they kept this up. Deciding to speed it up, he gave in. "Whatever. Fine fine. I'm going, but if she gets the wrong idea. I'm blaming you." Ren grunted and walked back past her towards Ayame.

The fangirl was still standing there with her face still flushing. It looked like she was about to hyperventilate. Ren stopped in front of her with his arms crossed, frowning at her. "Are you serious?"

"See? Told you." Sumi appeared behind him.

He sighed impatiently. "Let's freaking go already. Why are you standing there when you have class?"

Ayame's dazed eyes seem to come back to life. "Uhm, you told me to." She blushed again.

Ren rolled his eyes and just turned around to head towards class. _Now if I can affect every girl like that, life would be easier._

-------------------------

Yoh entered the classroom scanning for Anna. To his surprise, Anna, Ren, and Sumi weren't there yet. _Usually they arrive pretty early._

As he headed to his seat, he saw a bored-looking Keigo, but there was also a perplexed expression covering his face. _He seems tense._

He walked by HoroHoro and Lyserg and gave them a nod, they returned it without a smile. They were staring off deep in thought. Lyserg's eyes looked pained and full of remorse. HoroHoro wasn't his usual bubbly self and there was a hint of sadness in his expression. _Did something happen? _Yoh stopped. "What's wrong guys?"

Lyserg glanced at Yoh forcing a smile. "I'll tell you later."

HoroHoro snapped out of his deep in thought look. "Doesn't it look like Lyserg killed someone?" He joked. "He's all emo and everything."

Lyserg looked surprised at HoroHoro's comment and scoffed. "I'm perfectly fine. What are you talking about?"

"That's what you think, but you're face is pretty readable." HoroHoro stated.

"And yours isn't?" Lyserg snapped back, but with a grin. _Yours isn't. It's so much harder to read you when you don't want us to. _

HoroHoro smirked. "I'm not saying mine isn't. I'm just saying that your face was showing your emotions."

Yoh chuckled at them. They weren't staring off anymore with those sad expressions, which was good. "I can read you guys whether or not you guys show your emotions on your faces."

_That's true._ Both of them thought. Yoh was pretty observant, despite his carefree personality. Both of them laughed, smiling at Yoh.

"What?" Yoh stared. "I'm not lying."

The door opened and Ms. Hamasaki now walked in heading over to her desk at the front of the room. Yoh waved to them with a smile as he went over to his seat. As he sat down, he thought. _They're still not here..._

Just then Ren, Sumi, and a fangirl, he believed was Ayame walked into the classroom and hurried to their seats. Ren dropped into his seat in front of Yoh with a sigh.

Yoh leaned forward to Ren as the teacher started talking. "Where's Anna?"

"No idea, she didn't show up for first period either." Ren answered.

_What?_ Yoh's mind suddenly ran furiously. _She isn't the type to ditch, so what if something happened to her? What happened if she fell into a ditch? What if she was kidnapped? She came with me to school today so I'm responsible!_

Yoh jumped up out of his seat. "Excus-"

He stopped when the door opened and Anna walked into the room. She spotted him standing up and raised an eyebrow, but quickly turned to Ms. Hamasaki and bowed. "I'm sorry for being late."

The teacher nodded and just indicated for her to go to her seat. Then she looked at Yoh. "Now what would you like to say Mr. Asakura? Since you interrupted me."

Yoh now just smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head with a laugh. He watched Anna walked towards him. "Ah, I just wanted to say how nice you look today."

Everyone just sweatdropped while Ms. Hamasaki looked at him with a small smile. "I thought it was the end of the world or something when you jumped up." Her eyes shifted from him to Anna's back then back to him. With a small laugh, she said. "Please sit back down Yoh."

Hao was rubbing his face with embarassment for his brother. _Kind of obvious Yoh..._

"Hai." Yoh sat back down into his seat, giving Anna a small glance as she took her seat.

Ren looked at him with the corner of his eyes and then leaned towards Anna to whisper to her. "Where were you Anna?"

She just shrugged and turned back to face the front. She pulled out her notebook and then leaned onto her hand, resting her chin on it. She gave an occasional glance to Lyserg, but deciding to stop because it was none of her business to interfere. Jeanne had told her what happened and how harsh Lyserg was towards her. Anna sighed.

There was just too much going on at once. She wasn't sure if she could handle it. Her eyes drifted to Sumi. She noticed that Keigo was constantly watching her, so there was less worries for her there. Anna then noticed Yuna turning back to look towards her direction. She saw Yuna's eyes linger on Ren, who was staring at his notes laid out before him, and then her eyes flickered to catch hers.

They stared at each other for a few milliseconds before Yuna turned back to the front. There was a hint of arrogance in her actions, but Anna just ignored it. She now saw her stare at Keigo with the corner of her eyes. _I wonder what is up?_

Yoh felt like a stalker as he watch Anna, but he couldn't help it. He just couldn't take his eyes off her. His eyes closed as he sighed. _I wonder if she notices me..._

Anna stole a quick glace at Yoh, but he had his eyes closed. _I wonder what's wrong with him?_

Hao smirked at his brother. _He's stressing himself out._ _Relax Yoh._ He faced the front. It seemed like the whole place was turning upside down with everyone's problems. Hao thought back to the night where he encountered Keigo, Ryo, and Ikuto. There was certainly something going on.

_He said I was piece in his game that he was playing.... If only I knew everyone's story, then maybe I can piece it all together..._ _I bet Keigo holds a big piece to this puzzle..._ The thought of him made him frown. _And Ryo... I wonder what is he hiding..._ A flashback of En Tao's photograph flashed through his mind. _There has to be something involving Ren's family._ Remembering that Ryo had always gave Ren a dark look, it confirmed his suspicions.

His own problem wasn't yet solved either. His engagement was still set with Anna and there wasn't a way to break it off yet. He didn't understand why his grandfather had to do it his way. _Dang..._

-----------------

It was after lunch and Anna made her way to Art class. Jeanne had absoultely refused to sit with them at lunch and pretty much ditched all her classes with Lyserg. She had said she was going to work on her Art project during lunch. Anna wasn't sure what to do to help Jeanne and it was just painful to watch her be like this.

Without warning, the twins, Takuya and Toshiro popped up in front of her. "Hi Anna!"

Anna couldn't stop herself from jumping backwards, on guard. She let out relief breath and growled. "What do you guys want?"

"Oh did we scare you?" One of the twins said as he put an arm on her shoulder.

"We're sorry." The other one apologized with a smile.

Pushing his arm off her shoulder, she asked firmly. "Honestly, what do you guys want?" She was suspicious because they had never approached her before.

"We're bored." One of them said.

Anna was confused. "Go find Keigo. What does this have to do with me? Plus I have class soon."

The other one made a face as he crossed his arm. "Right now, everything about Keigo revolves around Sumi."

Takuya or Toshiro, she didn't know, nodded. "Did you know? For lunch, all Keigo did was watch Sumi at your table."

"He doesn't want to do much anymore." One of them stated.

"So we decided to talk to you because you seem interesting." They smiled at her.

"Oh, I see..." _I wonder..._ "Well I have class right now. So you know what you can do?" Anna put her hands on her hips. "Go track down those fangirls. They do a lot of interesting stuff."

They pondered at this for a few seconds. "That's true."

"Don't you guys have class?" Anna asked, looking at them.

"That's true too..." They mumbled. One of them looked at the other.

"Should we go to our boring class?"

The other twin looked back at him. "Keigo's there..."

"Okay then. Bye Anna." They nodded at each other and then raced away.

Anna stared after them with her eyes shrinking to dots. _Strange..._ Shrugging it off, she headed to class.

----------------------

_I think I'm going crazy… What do I do?_ Jeanne sat in class staring at the wall blankly. _I can't stop thinking about him…_

Anna looked over at her partner and sweat dropped. Jeanne had her hand on her paper without her realizing it and was painting her own hand. She waved a hand in front of Jeanne's face, but she didn't even blink. _Are you serious?_ "Jeanne… Jeanne… Are you okay?"

"Why is it that no matter what I do he won't take notice of me?" Jeanne whispered still staring off. "Why did he have to push me away like that? Why does it have to be painful?"

_Damnit, do you have to be like this? Like one of them too?_ Anna sighed. "Jeanne, snap out of it. He's not worth it if he makes you like this. Look at your own hand. You don't even know what you are doing."

She finally tore her stare away from the wall to look down at her hand to see that it was covered in paint. "Oh…" She stood up slowly and walked towards the sink.

Anna watched Jeanne spaced off again as she let the water run over her hands as she continued staring at the wall. She rubbed her head in frustration at her friend's actions. _Damn lovesick girls…_

Jeanne returned back to her seat and unconsciously began painting her hand again. Anna wanted to bang her head against the wall. It was so frustrating and it made her so angry that her friend had became like that. Too spaced out in their own little world._ What should I do?_

--------------------------------

Anna marched angrily with steam blowing out of her ears, she stopped in front of Lyserg and gave him the most deadliest look they have ever seen.

Lyserg leaned back confused. "Isn't Hao over there?"

Hao had on his trademark smirk as usual. "I'm surprised too. Usually it's always little o' me that did something to make you mad, but I never expected poor innocent Lyserg to do anything to the frightening wolfish Anna-chan."

"Shut up." Anna snapped at Hao with a hiss and he lifted his hands in the air with his palms up as in defeat.

"Sss. Ouch. Lyserg, what did you do?" Hao asked still with his smirk.

Lyserg was still confused. "I don't know! What's wrong Anna?"

Anna stabbed her finger at Lyserg's chest. "I'll tell you what's wrong. **You** are driving Jeanne crazy! And seeing her act this way is driving **me** crazy! Why did you do that to her? She walks around school like a freaking ZOMBIE! Can't you see that she is in love with you?"

_Oh, it's this topic… I hate this topic… _Lyserg shot a super fast glance over to HoroHoro at mach speed then back to Anna. "What am I suppose to do? Do you want me to love her out of pity? That'll be even worse for her. That isn't even the right kind of loving. I told her the truth. I can't make her happy. What do you want me to do?"

Anna knew that they can't just love someone out of pity, but, she just can't stand to see Jeanne like this. It's horrible. She lost her way of living practically. There's no more ambitious dreamer Jeanne… Only a puppet Jeanne… in the hands of her parents… She can't let Jeanne die. "You don't have to love her out of pity. Just be her friend. You know how Jeanne is. The Jeanne now is hopeless and lost. She isn't who she is anymore and I can't stand it! All you got to do is get her back on her own two feet and you can be on your way." Anna pleaded with all her anger gone, replaced with only concern. "Please."

"I can't do this. I can't lie to myself." Lyserg stated.

"For the sake of Jeanne. For the sake of her happiness. I can't see her like this." Anna dropped to her knees, throwing **everyone** off, and bowed her head. "I beg you. Please just spend a day with her if you think it's too much to do. She isn't like your fan girls." _I can't believe I'm doing this… but this is all for Jeanne…_

Everyone's jaw was pretty much on the ground after seeing Anna kneeling before Lyserg. It was pretty rare to see the famous vicious wildcat Anna kneeling before someone, especially with her pride.

_WHAT? WHY IS SHE KNEELING? This is awkward… _Lyserg wrinkled his brow and said slowly with a really apologetic expression. "I-I can't… I'm sor-"

"Just spend a day with her. It can't be too bad right?"

Lyserg and Anna looked over to see that HoroHoro was the one speaking. He was smiling, but through it Lyserg could tell that it was forced. Pain shone in HoroHoro's eyes as HoroHoro walked over to them and help Anna stand up.

"Why were you kneeling Anna?" HoroHoro asked as he pulled her up to her feet. "You must really care about Jeanne to do this… What a good friend!" He commented cheerfully.

Patting Lyserg on the back, HoroHoro tried to convince, "Lyserg, it's just a day. Don't worry about it. Actually don't think too much about it. It can't be that bad. You will be helping someone during their midlife crisis, so it'll be good if you go."

Lyserg looked at the floor and didn't answer him. HoroHoro pursed his lips together as if thinking and then smacked them. "Oh," He turned to Anna. "Don't worry Anna. Leave it to Lyserg. He'll ask Jeanne out, so don't tell her."

"What?" Lyserg stared at HoroHoro as if he had gone insane. "Who said I'd do that?"

HoroHoro smirked. "I did. Just do it Lyserg. It won't kill you. I'll leave her happiness to you because she just wants** you** to make her happy."

Lyserg tried to read HoroHoro's expression, but he turned to look the other way. Other than the two of them, no one else knew that HoroHoro liked Jeanne.

However, since Yoh was so observant without looking like it, he caught the sentence that HoroHoro said. _I see…_

"Well… I'll see you guys later. I have some things to do." HoroHoro walked away and turned back to grin at them. "Lyserg, bring the Jeanne back to how she was. Don't disappoint Anna." He waved and turned back around to continue walking.

_You mean to not disappoint you… I'm sorry HoroHoro… I don't even like her like that…_ Lyserg sighed. _But I guess… For you to see her happy…_ He looked at Anna and nodded, then walked away in the opposite direction.

Anna stared after him. Turning to Hao and them, she asked. "What does that mean?"

"Exactly what HoroHoro said. He just agreed." Hao said simply.

"Oh…" Anna felt guilty. _I'm forcing love… I'm sorry… I hope this doesn't turn out bad…_

"I'm sorry." Anna apologized and Yoh touched her shoulder, giving her a warm smile. "I'm being unfair to Lyserg."

"It's okay. We understand." He then chuckled. "I've never seen you do something like that before."

Anna blushed and realized he was talking about her kneeling before Lyserg.

"No kidding." Ren, who was silent the whole time, finally spoke.

Yoh bowed to Anna. "Shall I take you home? Or to see your parents?"

She managed a small smile, despite her blushing. "To see my parents." _I'm getting too soft..._ "Thanks Yoh."

"No problem." He grinned happily. _Anything for you..._

Hao was smirking at the scene, but he also noticed that Ren seemed a bit down. _Could it be..._

-----------------

The school was now pretty empty except for those few in clubs and sports.

HoroHoro rested his elbows on his knees breathing heavily. _I want her to be happy, so I did the right thing…_ He rested his head on his hands and tugged at his hair as he stared at the ground. _But why does doing the right thing feel so horrible?_ He shut his eyes tightly and tears slowly emerged from the corners of his eyes no matter how hard he tried to keep them back. He was crying. He knew it, but the pain was unbearable. It was the first time he felt like this.

Tamao was looking for Pirika when she spotted HoroHoro sitting on the bench with his head down. _HoroHoro… maybe he knows… I'll ask him._ As she walked closer, she heard sniffles. _Is… he… crying?_ Suddenly she felt uncomfortable, so her pace slowed and she stopped. _Maybe, I should just leave him alone… _She was about to turn around and walk the opposite direction, but she stopped herself. _That wouldn't be right either… I can't just leave him alone…_ Deciding that no matter how awkward it may be, she should try. "Um… HoroHoro?"

He seemed to jump when he heard her voice and quickly tried to wipe his face. _Shit… This is embarrassing… _ "Yeah? What's up?" HoroHoro tried to make his voice sound as normal as possible and kept his eyes looking towards the ground.

"Um… Uh… Um…I-I-I… was just wondering if you're okay." Tamao asked nervously as she walked closer to him. "W-would you like to talk about it?"

"I'm fine…" _Except for this pain I feel…_ HoroHoro thought bitterly.

_I can't let him be alone right now… He'll be engulfed in sadness… I felt the pain of being alone and the feeling of anger and sadness… and it's not good…_ With a sudden burst of courage, Tamao gently hugged HoroHoro's head. "I know I'm probably not the person you want to be next to you right now, but if you ever want to find someone you can talk to about the people you normally go to for help you can always find me."

HoroHoro was thrown off and stunned that Tamao was hugging him. _What's going on?_

"Sometimes, I have times when I want to talk to somebody, but I can't find anyone to talk to. I realize then not to be so dependent on a person… However whenever, just when I'm about to lose trust in people, there's always someone that restores my faith. It feels really nice that there is always someone out there to catch you whether you know them or not." Tamao went on. She had closed her eyes and was remembering her past.

_Hm… I think she's trying to comfort me… I guess it is working because… this is awkward…_ HoroHoro didn't know how to break out of the hold that he was held in. "Ah… Tamao…"

"Yes?" She replied with her eyes still closed and grasping his head.

_Does she not realize that I'm sweaty too?_ "Mind if you let go?" HoroHoro said.

It jolted her and she quickly released him and jumped backwards. "Ah! Sorry!" She bowed to him. "Um.. Uh.. I- I- I-…No-… I-…That-..." She stammered aimlessly.

HoroHoro grabbed the towel beside him on the bench and wiped his forehead. "It's alright…" He went back to leaning on his knees. "Thanks though. I feel better." It was true that his heart's pain eased a little.

Tamao smiled shyly. "That's good."

He grabbed the basketball off the floor and held it in his hand. He spoke up suddenly. "It's just that… I decided to let her go… so she can be happy…" He spun the ball on his finger. "It is my way of loving her…"

"You're so strong." Tamao praised and HoroHoro turned to look at her. "I hope I can be like that too. Sacrificing my happiness for their happiness, but also… I hope that I can find someone that I can share the happiness together." Tamao replied.

"I bet you will…" He looked at the ball. "I hope I do too…" He whispered, then he stood up. Bouncing the ball, he grinned. "Well, I'm going to head back and take a shower. So I'll catch you later. Thanks for your time."

"No problem. Talk to me anytime." Tamao bowed and waved as she watched HoroHoro bounce the basketball and head back towards the parking lot. _I never looked at anyone other than Yoh, but even though I love and admire Yoh so much, this feeling is different. Is it satisfaction because I helped someone instead of being helped? I think because it's the first time I see a guy cry, that I realized that I never do see anyone else other than Yoh. Thanks Yoh for helping me through my tough times and that allowed me to help others… Even though I've known HoroHoro for quite a while, that was a first… I never noticed how cute he is…_

Tamao blushed at her thoughts, then turned away from his retreating back to resume her search for Pirika.

-------------------------

What do you do when the only one that can make you stop crying, is the person who made you cry?


	14. Chapter 14

.: So This is How it is:.

Anna shuffled a few papers and then placed them back down, reaching for more. She had been looking through papers for the past few days hoping to find some clues about the marriage between her and Hao Asakura, but so far she came up with nothing. No contract, no hints, nothing. The papers were scattered around her as she was sitting down on the floor in her parents' closet. _Where would they put it?_ Anna frowned. She already went through the papers in their desks but found nothing that seemed important to her.

Anna sighed. _There must be a link between everything._ She grabbed the papers and began putting them back. _Dad must be tired... He is in the hospital and trying to manage everything from there... _

She shoved everything away. _And... People barging into my home... There has to be a reason for that..._

She stood up and brushed herself off. Rubbing her head, she made her way back into her room. _I'll figure out everything later..._

She stopped and stared out her window and into Sumi's room. _It's lonely here... I wish Sumi was there so at least I can talk to her... Why don't they at least try to get her back?_

Anna climbed onto her window ledge and sat looking out. Her head rested against the sill. _I don't understand her family..._

-----------------------------------------

Pirika watched her brother drag himself to the dinner table with a dead look on his face. _HoroHoro?_ He seated himself down and smiled at their parents.

_Hm... Something is wrong... _Pirika stared, trying to see if her brother would give himself away again.

He caught her staring and just smiled at her. "What's wrong Pirika?"

She frowned. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

HoroHoro simply just raised his eyebrow and chuckled at her. "What are you talking about? Did you eat something funny?"

Pirika continued frowning, but starting putting food in her mouth with her eyes watching him. _Yup something is up... Time to unravel this mystery..._ Her eyes flickered to her parents. They were too busy discussing business matters to notice the slight difference in HoroHoro's attitude. He was quiet, too quiet. Now that wasn't normal.

Normally he would be talking about some stupid stuff that was really ridiculous, but this quiet HoroHoro is even more weird. Pirika raked her brain. Something must have happen at school today because yesterday he was still pretty normal.

There was a slight rumor that Lyserg rejected Jeanne, but that has nothing to do with HoroHoro. _Maybe HoroHoro got into a fight with his friends?_

Pirika sighed. There were too many possibilities. _I'll see..._

She looked at her brother again. He looked sad. _I'll need to cheer him somehow..._

-----------------------------

Hao sat across from Liz and watched her pick something out from the menu.

"Can I have this one?" Liz pointed to the picture on the menu as she showed it to the waitress.

The waitress nodded and quickly looked over to Hao, anticipating his order. "And how about you?"

"I'm going to try number four." Hao stated and handed her his menu, giving her a quick glance then turning back to Liz. It was the very same waitress that he had saved the day that he first came to the restaurant.

She blushed madly when she saw that he looked at her and quickly bowed. "Okay! I'll be right back!" She said quickly and hurried away, stumbling.

Liz was watching her warily and she sighed, looking at Hao. He had his elbow against the table and his hand propped against his chin with his eyes staring at her, but it seemed at the same time, he was staring past her into nothingness. She could tell why that girl was all fluttery around Hao. He looked like a model straight out of a magazine. _He looks really hot today. Hopefully I look equally as good._ Liz crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Opening them, she made a face. "Why did we have to eat here out of all places?"

Hao's eyes seemed to focus back onto her. With a grin, he asked breezily. "Why? What's wrong with eating here?"

"Nothing..." Liz pouted. "It just seems that we've been eating here more often."

She watched his reaction, but Hao didn't say anything. He just smiled with a laid-back expression, making him look like Yoh.

"Is there a reason to always coming here?" She took a sip of her drink. Honestly, she didn't want it to make it look as if she was accusing him.

Hao didn't change his expression. "Yeah. My friend owns the place. Plus don't you think the food taste great?" He winked at her.

She sighed and nodded. It was true that the food was unbelievably delicious, but she didn't believe that was all to it. However, her heart was beating so fast and doing so many somersaults that she couldn't say anything in return.

"Ah, um, here are your orders." The girl returned to the table, putting down the plates before them and smiling nervously. Her face was red and she kept glancing over to Hao, which caused Liz to eye her with suspicions. "Um, if you need anything please feel free to call me."

Hao finally looked at her and she reddened even further. Bowing quickly, she hastily made her leave.

"Let's eat Liz." Hao grinned and began eating.

Li smiled and joined as well. Sure she was jealous, but she could understand the girl's feelings. She was happy that Hao wasn't paying attention to the girl though, it gave her a reassuring feeling.

"Hi guys!" Two cups filled with ice cream was placed onto the table and both Hao and Liz looked up surprised. Ryo was grinning at them as he leaned onto the tray that he was holding. "Two sundaes, my treat."

"Thanks Ryo." Liz smiled.

He held his hand up to his face. "Eat it while you can. I don't want the other customers to get jealous." Ryo chuckled.

Hao laughed. "Now we don't want that to happen do we?" Without hesitating, he helped himself to a cup.

Ryo nodded. He looked around and then back to Hao. "So Hao, I haven't seen Ikuto these few days, have you?"

Hao paused, thinking with the spoon in his mouth. "Nope. Not at all."

Liz watched them silently. _What are they talking about? The guy that Yuna was with that one time?_

Ryo looked up, rubbing a hand on his head. "If I'm guessing correctly, he stopped coming since Sumi isn't coming to work."

Hao stared at Ryo curiously. "And why isn't Sumi working?"

"Manta doesn't want Sumi to be in danger... since he seems to be constantly watching her." Ryo shrugged. "You didn't know that she wasn't working?"

"Nope." Hao resumed eating the ice cream. He glanced at Liz. "By the way, has Sumi gone home yet?"

Liz frowned. "No..."

Hao stopped and gave Liz a concerned look. "Shouldn't you guys try to bring her home? It's not safe for her to be out there."

"..." Liz put her spoon back down. "Her father is going to bring her back soon." She stated briefly, ending the conversation.

Ryo and Hao just shared a glance and shrugged it off.

-----------------------------------------------

Jeanne sat on her bed holding a book. Closing it shut, she tossed it to the side. _Falling in love like a comic book..._ She sighed. _It totally is so unrealistic..._ Falling back against her bed, she grabbed her pillow and closed her eyes.

_I really wanted to find my prince charming..._ Jeanne opened her eyes and rested a hand on her forehead.

_I wanted Lyserg... to be that prince charming..._ She clutched the pillow tighter.

_Maybe... it just wasn't meant to be..._

_Lyserg..._

_Will you ever see me?_

---------------------------------

Sumi felt warm as her senses began to awaken. Yawning and opening her eyes, she found herself staring at white cloth.

She moved her legs, but found them very heavy. Confused, she looked down to find her legs tangled up against another pair of legs along with sheets. _Huh?_

Rubbing her eyes, she pulled her head back to find herself against Keigo's chest, with his arms around her. "WAH!" She shouted surprised and pushed him off the bed quickly.

Forgetting that she was tangled with him, she was thrown off when she also fell off the bed. "Oof!" She landed on top of him, shutting her eyes.

"So you like being on top huh? I'm sorry, but I like it the other way around."

Sumi's eyes shot back open to see the place turn around as she found herself pinned down and staring into the eyes of Keigo.

He was staring down at her mischieviously with a smile playing at his lips.

Sumi stared with his face inches from hers. Her heart suddenly beated a bit faster. _He's... cute..._ She realized that she never really looked at him to pay attention and examine his appearance. _Maybe that's why my friends called my dense..._

Keigo smiled at the confused girl. _Looks like she isn't fully awake yet..._ He leaned closer to her, breathing in her scent. A suddenly urge of wanting to kiss her came into mind as he continued staring her face. Unconsciously, he moved his face closer to hers.

"Why are you in my bed?"

Keigo stopped, watching her raise an eyebrow at him. Smiling, he leaned to her ear. Whispering, he said. "You're such a naughty girl."

_Huh?_ "WHAT?" Sumi exclaimed, wanting to jump up, but she was pressed down against the floor with Keigo on top of her.

"Ms. Sumi Mitsuki. Is everything o-" The door flew open to reveal the butler standing there, looking in. "-Kay..." His eyes stared at them on the floor for a second and then he bowed, closing the door behind him.

Keigo then starting cracking up, holding his stomach as he sat up on her.

Sumi pushed herself up, glaring at him. "..."

When he stopped, he placed a hand on his cheek, grinning at her. "You sure are cute Sumi."

For some odd reason, she started to feel herself start to blush. _What the..._ Forcing her blush away, she asked. "Can you get off me now and explain?"

Keigo detangled himself from the sheets and stood up. With a smug look, he lifted Sumi up off the floor with the sheets and placed her on the bed. Sitting down onto the bed, he continued smiling at her. "I was getting up for water last night and heard you whimpering. Sounded like you had a nightmare."

_Flashback-_

_Keigo walked out into the hallway yawning. A quiet cry was heard through the door as he walked past the room Sumi was staying in. He stopped. "Sumi?" He backtracked a few steps and leaned against the door. He could hear whimpering through the door. _

_Keigo knocked quietly. "Sumi?"_

_There was no response except for the quiet whimpering. Opening the door silently, Keigo walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He turned on the nightlamp by the bed to see a shivering heap inside the blanket. He pulled off the blanket to reveal Sumi tightly curled into a ball, whimpering and tears streaming down her face._

_It was the first time he had seen her so vunerable since she started coming to the school. "Sumi..." He said gently._

"So I stayed with you." Keigo gave her a reassuring look.

Sumi looked at him with surprise and smiled gently. "Thank you Keigo..." He really was a nice person. The reputation he had a school was completely different than how he really is. Though there are times she could see how people see him as a "bad boy" type, she saw him as pretty considerate too. And... he really was taking care of her...

Keigo suddenly blushed and simply just looked away. "What were you dreaming about anyways?" _You were crying..._

Sumi laughed. "You know, I really don't know. I don't even remember having a nightmare." She said cheerfully. _Keigo blushed! Haha! That's a first!_

He turned back to her with a bewildered expression. _This girl..._ "Anyways, lets go to school." He stood up.

Sumi watched him head towards the door. "You know Keigo, I really appreciate you taking care of me. Thank you."

Keigo turned back to see Sumi smiling at him happily from the bed. "No problem." He smiled back and closed the door beside him. He sighed and blushed. _Dang..._

"Feeling okay young master?"

Keigo jumped at the sound of the butler's voice and saw him standing there watching him. He flushed even more. "Y-yes. I'm fine." He stuttered and headed towards his room.

"By the way, Master Yagami is coming back today." The butler announced.

Keigo nodded and disappeared into his room.

---------------------------------------

Yoh walked down the hallway happily towards his first period class. _Nothing can bring me down right now._

A few minutes earlier, he had just parted ways with Anna. Since he was on the Student Council Commitee, he knew there was a dance coming up as well as a school winter break trip. He had taken to opportunity to ask Anna if she would go to the dance with him and unexpectedly, she had said yes.

Yoh grinned even more. A happy bubble inside of him inflated and he felt like he could fly. _Yes!_

A couple fangirls approached him. "Yoh! You look very happy today. How are you?"

"I'm great. Never been better." Yoh smiled at them, sparkling. "How are you lovely ladies doing?"

They blushed. "Kyaa! So cute!"

"We're doing good! Would you like to share us your happy secret?" A few of the girls asked excited about Yoh's mood.

Yoh beamed and then winked at them. "It's a secret." He whispered.

"Kyaa! Kyaa!" They cried out, gushing about how cute Yoh was being.

"What are you guys doing? Shouting 'Kyaa! Kyaa!' It's too noisy!"

Yoh looked over to see Ren looking irritated at the girls. The girls flushed red, murmuring to themselves, then quickly escaping.

"Morning Ren!" Yoh waved merrily.

"Hey Yoh." Ren greeted as he approached him. "You're in a good mood."

"I know!" Yoh smiled like no other.

"That's great then." He couldn't help, but smile back at his happy face. The bell then rang. "Well, I have to go to class then. I'll see you later!" Waving, Ren hurried away to his classroom.

"Okayyy!" Yoh shouted. "Bye Ren!"

------------------------------------------

Anna found herself pressed against a locker with her legs dangling away from the ground. _Shit..._

Before her was a rather large student holding her up against her locker. He was grabbing her neck with one arm and glaring at her.

Anna growled and tried to kick him in the face, but her legs didn't reach him. _Damn..._

"Look at the vicious kitten now. She's vunerable."

She sneered at the girls standing behind the large guy. _What weaklings... They can't fight me themselves..._

Mika chortled then frowned at her. Without warning, she attacked her. Anna was thrown off at first, but managed to kick her in the face, sending her backwards.

"Ow! You b****!" Mika cried out as she held her face in pain. She started to head towards Anna again, but without warning, Sumi sprinted in front of the big guy and kicked him squarely in the stomach, making him drop Anna and sending him tumbling over Mika and knocking over all the girls.

Anna dropped to the floor, landing on one knee. Standing up, she looked at Sumi, who was facing them.

"That is so unfair." Sumi stared at them on the floor then turned to Anna. "Are you okay?" She rushed up to her examining her face, bringing her hands to Anna's face.

Anna nodded and pushed Sumi's hands down. "I'm fine. Thanks."

Mika now jumped up even angrier. "You two! I hate you gu-"

The big guy that had fallen stood up roaring even much more angrier than Mika. Without delaying his time, he seized Sumi and Anna by the neck and slammed them angrily against the lockers. They coughed at the impact, getting the air knocked out of them.

Sumi struggled against the tight grip at her neck. She tried prying his fingers off, but to no avail. Anna choked and glared at the guy, contemplating up a plan.

He growled menancingly. "I won't let two little girls here show me up."

A fist connected to his face and he stumbled backwards once more, dropping Sumi and Anna.

Keigo stood between them, frowning. "Do you know you're not allowed to fight in school? Are you asking to get kicked out?" Keigo glared. "You would shame your family name right?" He smirked. "Scram or I'll show this to the principal." He held up his cellphone.

The big guy growled at Keigo, then standing up he walked away. "Keigo, you better watch what you're doing." He said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Mika and the other girls paled and blushed at the sight of Keigo and sprinted the other direction screaming about how cool he looked.

_Man... Threatening rich people is so much easier than regular people... _Sumi looked at Anna, who looked equally as pissed off as the big guy. Her eyes flew back to Keigo, who was looking at her with worry.

He approached her and asked. "Are you alright?"

Anna raised her eyebrow as she watched them with the corners of her eyes. _Obviously, Keigo likes her. He is out of his normal character to be so gentle._ Anna frowned. _Stupid girls._ "I'm tired of this." Anna growled. She looked at Keigo and sticking out her hand, interrupting them. "Give me your cellphone. I'm going to turn that in so they can freaking get kicked out of school already."

Keigo's gentleness immediately disappeared and he smirked at her mischieviously. He shrugged and placed his hands onto his head. "Sorry to tell you this Anna, but I was bluffing. I have no video or pictures. Why would I waste my time recording or taking pictures when I can just help you guys?"

_Damn you..._ Anna glowered, even though she agreed with him. Turning around, she stomped off, muttering, leaving the two alone. She needed to think of a plan to make those girls stop bothering them.

She turned the corner and walked into someone. Catching herself, she glared at the other person, only to see Ren rubbing his head and looking at her.

"Anna?"

She made a face and nodded at him, walking past him.

"Wait, Anna." He grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

She faced him and frowned. "What do you want?"

"Your face..." He stared. "Are you okay?"

"Whats wrong with my face? Of course I'm okay." Anna said and was about to continue on her way, but Ren held her back. "Yes?"

His eyes had spotted Keigo dragging Sumi away with her complaining that there was nothing wrong and he quickly turned to Anna once again, forming a conclusion. "Let's go to the nurse." Without waiting for her to respond, he pulled her along as he made his way to the office.

_What the hell..._ Anna tried to protest, but Ren ignored her.

He pulled her into the office and the nurse stared at him, but smiled when she recognized Anna. "Hi, what seems to be the matter?" She asked Ren.

"Look at her." He pushed Anna forward towards the nurse and Anna growled at Ren, who was now smirking.

"Oh my. Did someone hit you?" The nurse held Anna's face in her hands. "You're not hurt anywhere else are you?"

Anna furrowed her brow. _How does she know? I'm not bleeding am I?_

The nurse pulled down to seat her in a chair. "Wait here. Let me get some ice." She darted out of the room.

Anna gave Ren the death glare again and he nodded his head towards the mirror. She turned towards it and saw that a large bruise was starting to form around her jawbone. _Damn it! I'm going to kill that girl. _Anna clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. _I can't see Father like this either..._

"It looks worse than how it really is." She grumbled.

"Sure..." He said sarcastically, then his smirk disappeared. "It's those fangirls right?"

Anna didn't reply. _I'm going to tear her to pieces..._

"What the hell is up with those girls?" Ren sighed and the nurse reentered the room, putting the pack of ice onto Anna's face.

"Lilirara, I'm leaving her to you. Thank you." Ren turned and left after he saw the nurse nod at him and Anna still frowning.

He made his way down the stairs and towards the hallways. _What can I do to help? How do I catch them? _

_How would I keep them away from Anna?_

While he was thinking over things, he didn't notice that Pirika had fell off the last step of the stairs until he heard a cry. His eyes shot up and saw his friend's sister lying on the floor. He dashed over and knelt down beside her. "Pirika, are you okay?"

"Yeah." She looked at him embarassed. "I just stumbled over my own feet."

She pushed herself up and stood up, but she winced.

Ren caught her expression and sighed. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Pirika shook her head. "No." _Just go Ren... as much as I would like you to be around... I would get into trouble..._

Ren just stared at her. _What the hell... Is there something wrong with all these girls? Do they want me to point out the fact that they are obviously lying?_ He crossed his arms and waited, seeing what she was going to do next.

Pirika stared at him nervously, waiting for him to leave. "Uh..." His intimidating stare was getting to her. _Is he waiting to prove me wrong?_ "I guess I'll leave first..." Pirika hesitated. _Now if I walk away okay, he won't get me into trouble..._ She smiled and waved, taking a step forward, but her foot gave out and she stumbled.

Ren caught her around her waist and one hand holding her arm. He was frowning. _See... I knew it... What the hell is wrong with these people..._

Pirika blushed at the fact that she exposed herself and that Ren, her brother's friend, one of popular cute boys that girls go crazy for, is touching her. _I'm so dead... It's over... All I've worked for is now... down the drain..._ Pirika hung her head in anguish. _They are going to come after me now..._ Pirika wanted to cry. _I've just become their enemy within a second and it's all because of Ren..._

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ren helped her stand upright and saw that her face was sad. "What's wrong?"

She pushed away her mood and shrugged. "Nothing..." She took another step forward and stumbled again. _Damn it!_

Ren placed a hand on his head and exhaled. He walked in front of her and knelt down. "Get on my back." He ordered.

"What?" Pirika was shocked, taking a step back. _No, it'll get worse... More torture... And what's worse is... that you're not Hao..._

Ren growled and pulled her legs, making her fall against him and then he quickly stood up. _Great, back to the nurse..._

Pirika had to grab onto his neck to keep from falling off. "Hey! Put me down!" She shouted then covered her mouth hastily. _Shit... That was too loud..._ She spotted some people she knew at a distance and sighed, blushing. _I give up... Too late... _She clenched her hands together tightly and Ren noticed this.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, glancing at her.

Somehow his concern threw her off and she blushed again, finally resting her head against his shoulder. "No..." _Maybe Ren isn't that bad..._ Her heart pounded nervously for the first time. "Why are you helping me?" She asked.

Ren smirked. "What you wanted me to leave you?"

_Well yeah... Obviously..._ Pirika thought to herself.

"Your brother would kill me if he knew that I didn't help out his baby sister when I saw her get hurt." Ren replied as he made his way up the stairs. _Man... this is a work out..._

"Oh..." Pirika suddenly remember something. Worried covered her voice as she asked. "Ren? Do you know what's wrong with HoroHoro? He seems kind of sad..."

"Yeah?" He glanced at her with the corners of his eyes, then looked back to the front. There was a bit of a pause before Ren continued. "I don't really know what's going on because none of us really had a talk yet, but from what I'm guessing, something is up between HoroHoro, Lyserg, and Jeanne..." Ren drifted off.

"Don't take my word though. It's just my assumption." Ren added as they walked into the nurse's office.

Lilirara looked up to see Ren once again. "Oh you're back?" She looked at Anna. "To see Anna?"

"Actually..." Ren knelt down, so Pirika could stand up. "I think she sprained her ankle when she fell down the stairs."

"Ouch. Let me have a look at her. Hold on." Lilirara turned to Anna and placed a bandage onto her knee. She stood up and pointed to the bed beside her. "Do you mind if you come right here?" She asked Pirika.

Pirika nodded and hopped towards her.

Ren then just scooped her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed. She blushed madly at the unexpected action. "Ren, I can walk."

"Much faster this way." Ren said as he put her down.

The nurse clasped her hands together. "Man, you're such a hero today. Brought two people in already."

Ren just smiled as he kneeled down to look at Anna, who was holding the ice pack to her cheek. "Doing better?"

"I was fine to begin with." She snarled.

Ren chuckled and stood up. "That's so unladylike Anna."

She humphed and crossed her arms, unhappily. She peeked one eye at him, to see him still smiling at her. _What the hell... Why are you noticing me now?_

Ren then waved to everyone. "Later guys. I'll see you in class Anna. I still have do a few things before lunch ends. And becareful Pirika." He disappeared out the door and Pirika looked after him, then back to Anna. _Hm..._

----------------------------------------------

Anna walked into the gym dressed in her gym outfit. "Here you go." She handed the nurse's note to the teacher, who nodded and handed her a badminton racket.

"Just in time Ms. Kyoyama. I'm assigning partners." He looked around and started calling names.

"Anna. Are you alright? Ren told me you're hurt!" Yoh whispered worried, looking at Anna when she came to join the mob of students.

"I'm fine." She stated and her eyes spotted Mika, shooting her a death glare, Mika returned it back, along with a couple more girls.

"Anna?"

"Yes?" She raised her hand.

"Did you hear?" The teacher frowned. "You're partnered with Keigo."

"Hai!" Anna nodded and sighed. She glanced back over to Mika and the other girls, whose glares intensified. Scoffing at them, she looked the other direction to see Keigo, who was smirking at her.

After everyone else was partnered up, the teacher assigned their opponents and somehow, luckily... Anna chortled lightly. Her opponents were Mika and one of the other fangirls.

_Time to make her suffer..._ Anna clenched her racket tightly. She looked at Keigo, who was raised an eyebrow at her.

Mika and the other girl approached them. They were blushing slightly, but Mika still kept up a competitive spirit. "Ready when you are."

"You're going to get owned." Anna stated and within the second they started playing. It wasn't bad at first, until Mika got really into it, which brought Anna really into it.

"Move out of the way Keigo!" Anna barked, running back and forth.

Keigo didn't blame her. It was after all, the girl that was making her life harder than it really was. He didn't really felt like playing anyways. Putting his hands to his head, he moved to the back of the court and watched Anna going against the girls.

His eyes moved to a couple courts over and he watched Sumi and Hao play against Yoh and Jeanne. His eyes turned to slits as he saw Sumi make a dive to hit the birdie over the net and Hao kneeling beside her, giving her a hand with a laugh. He refrained himself from running over there himself to stop her from taking his hand and smacking his away. It was jealousy and he was aware of it.

There was just something about Hao that made him think that Hao was conscious of Sumi. Even though he already has a girlfriend. Keigo scanned the courts for Hao's girlfriend and spotted her watching them as well and flaming up with anger. _Seems like she's aware as well..._

Sumi laughed and his eyes flew back to her. A smile played at his lips as he watched her. Apparently she was laughing because Hao and Yoh had ran into each other at the net trying to get the birdie.

Anna leaned on her knees, breathing heavily. Mika and the other girl were doing the same thing on the other side of the net. It was an intense game. She looked back to Keigo and saw him staring over to the other court. She followed his eyes and saw that they land on Sumi. _Now how obvious is that? _She saw that Jeanne was laughing as well, which was a relief. Anna was glad that Jeanne wasn't partnered up with Lyserg, otherwise, she was afraid that Jeanne might break down.

A birdie hit her face, knocking her over. Anna jumped up angrily. "Hey! Ugly! What do you think you're doing?"

Mika looked smugged. "Oops! My bad!"

Throwing down her racket, Anna pushed through the net and grabbed Mika's t-shirt. "I dare you to do that again!" Anna threatened furiously.

Mika grabbed Anna's hand on her shirt. "What do you think you're doing?"

Keigo turned at the noise, and apparently so did everyone else. He scratched his head and headed towards them.

Mika pushed Anna backwards and when Anna caught herself, she was going to charge back at Mika, but arms wrapped around her, holding her back. Growling, Anna looked back to see who was holding her. "Ren! What do you think you are doing?"

"Making sure you don't get suspended." Ren growled in her ear. "What are you doing Anna?"

Anna glared, but didn't answer and just simply turned her head back towards Mika. Between them stood Keigo with his arms crossed and frowning. He was facing Mika and looking down at her with a disinterested expression. "Can you not cause trouble?"

Mika blushed, but accused. "It was Anna, who started it first."

Keigo scoffed. "What about everything else? Leave them alone." He said in a low voice.

"What's going on here?" The teacher called out as he made his way over from the other side of the courts. Keigo moved to stand in front of him, when he appeared.

"Nothing. It just seems to be a misunderstanding." Keigo said coolly.

The teacher stared at Keigo suspiciously, then looked over to Anna. "REN!" He barked. "Keep your hands off other students!"

Ren groaned, irritated that he was misunderstood. "She needs to go to the nurse's office."

"I'll take her!" Yoh volunteered and rushed up to Anna and Ren. Everyone else had circled the group to see what was going on.

Ren was surprised, but let Yoh take Anna. He could see all those fangirls explode in fiery auras around them as they gave death glares to Anna. He sighed.

The teacher was also surprised. "Uh, I suppose Yoh Asakura can take Anna to the nurse's office, as long as it isn't Ren."

"Hey! I don't do bad things!" Ren cried out as Yoh nodded and began to walk with Anna to the nurse's office, while Anna was frowning, clearly unhappy with the situation, but not complaining in case she makes it worse than how it already was.

The teacher suddenly pointed at Sumi. "What about the time with her? How about you explain that?"

Sumi sweatdropped, smiling nervously. _Sensei...._ She scratched her head, noticing that his sentence revived the fangirls' anger towards her as they all shifted their eyes angrily to her.

Ren humphed and didn't say anything as he crossed his arms. _Sorry Sumi... about that time..._ He gave an apologetic look towards Sumi, but also noticed that everyone else was watching her. _Great..._

He spotted Yuna standing beside Keigo wearing an unreadable expression and then shifted her eyes from Sumi to him. They held eye contact for a second before she looked away.

Ren clenched his fists and took a deep breath. _That's right... You're over her..._ He told himself and his hands relaxed. _You're okay..._

Sumi caught Ren's look. _Ren looks bothered, Lyserg looks stiff, and HoroHoro looks sad... I wonder what I can do to help them..._

--------------------------------------------

After the bell ended, Anna began packing her things into her backpack. She spotted Sumi also packing her things, but then Keigo approached Sumi, putting his hands onto the table and giving her a grin.

"Ready to head back?" Keigo said.

Sumi smiled back and nodded. She spotted Anna looking over and gave Anna a wave. "See you tomorrow Anna!"

Anna nodded at her and waved back. _Keigo is certainly smiling more often..._ He nodded at her with a grin and then looked at Sumi, who cheerfully smiled back at him.

"Oy Keigo." The twins approached him and Sumi. "Hi Sumi." They greeted.

"You're not going to come with us today?" One of the twins looked at him, making a disappointed face.

Keigo shook his head. "I think I'm going to miss out on today's too. Have fun guys! Tell me how it goes."

The twins looked at each other disappointed as Keigo walked past them, pulling Sumi's sleeve. Anna saw Sumi turned to Keigo and asked as they walked out the door. "You're not going to go with them? You should."

Keigo had shook his head before they disappeared around the corner.

Anna looked towards Yoh, who was waiting for her with a grin. She eyed her classmates before heading towards him. Everyone was murmuring to themselves and Anna overheard a few comments as she headed towards the door to Yoh.

"Keigo is smiling more!" One of the girls squealled quietly. "He looks so sweet when he smiles!"

Another gushed. "He's so cute!"

"He should always look like that!" Another whispered. "He's too cool!"

_So they've noticed..._ Anna shrugged and met up with Yoh and they walked after Hao, Ren, and Lyserg. They approached their usual bench, where they usually stood around for a bit before they all headed their own direction. Anna could still see Sumi and Keigo heading towards the parking lot and she watched them. _If Keigo becomes more popular to those fangirls, then Sumi just fell into another pit hole..._ Sure it was safe being around the guys or with Keigo, but at the same time, it was rather dangerous.

_Jeanne should be heading out with HoroHoro right now, so she should be safe. _Anna turned her head around to look for Jeanne, but she spotted Hao looking towards Keigo and Sumi with a cautious expression. _Hm... Could it be..._ Anna gave a thoughtful expression. _No... not possible..._

Hao seemed to finally noticed Anna and gave her a teasing smile. "What's up wildcat? Am I that attractive that you can't take your eyes off of me?"

Anna flared and her dark aura exploded around her. She glared at Hao with a murderous intent. _Stupid... Cocky... Bastard..._

"What? Did I hit the spot?" Hao held up his hands, looking demure. "What can I say? I knew you were att-"

Anna grabbed his shirt and started shaking him vigorously. "YOU WISH! What kind of person would I be if I were to ever find you attractive? I would be ASHAMED! I WOULD GO CRAWL UNDER A ROCK AND NEVER COME OUT! I WOULD KILL YOU FIRST BEFORE I GO COMMIT SUICI-"

At the same time, Yoh was trying to stop them. "Hao! Don't tease Anna!" He was holding his hands up behind Anna, trying to calm her down. "Anna, I'm sure he didn't mean it..."

Ren and Lyserg had looked over at the noise and sweatdropped, embarassed by them.

"WHAT are you doing?"

Everyone turned their heads to see Liz standing beside Ryo glaring. Behind them stood HoroHoro and Jeanne, who was trying to hide her face.

"Whoa, deja vu..." Lyserg muttered and quickly stood up. "As much as I would like to stay and watch, I got practice. Later guys." He grabbed his bag and made his exit right before Liz charged over.

_Damn it Lyserg..._ HoroHoro clenched his fist and nodded at Jeanne. "I'll see you later." He quickly ran after his green-haired friend.

Ren intercepted Liz in her charge towards Anna making her stop in her tracks and simply stared at her. "Trust people more." He said and walked after the other two.

Anna had released Hao and took a step back, hissing at Hao, who was forcing down his chuckles. Her glare met Liz's and they frowned at each other.

Liz finally broke away eye contact and turned to face Hao. "Hao-"

He was standing up and smiling at her. "Don't misunderstand. I just said something that crossed the line."

She pouted. _Why is everytime you say something, everything will be okay? It's not fair..._ Liz sighed and Hao placed an arm over her shoulders. _I can't read your mind Hao... If it's me... then why is it Sumi and Anna too?_

Anna glowered at them. _I swear... I'm going to kill him one day..._

-----------------------------------

Keigo walked through the front door with Sumi following behind him.

"Welcome home young master." The butler bowed.

He gave the butler a smirk and nodded as he walked past him.

"Hi." Sumi bowed before she past him and he bowed in return.

"By the way, Mr. Akiyama. Master Yagami has arrived back home." The butler said to Keigo's back as Keigo just held up an arm to show that he heard.

"Yagami?" Sumi questioned.

Keigo looked back at her and stopped before the stairs. "My uncle." He put his hands onto his head. "I live with my uncle, but he's hardly ever home because he's usually working. He owns a company that manufactures cars."

_Oh... That explains him living in this humongous mansion by himself... I wonder where are his parents... I shouldn't ask though..._ Sumi chuckled lightly. "Sounds like my father. He's usually never home either." She smiled. "I didn't know you were living with your uncle." Sudden worry covered her face as she winced. "Uh... does he know that I'm temporarily staying here?"

He laughed. "Don't worry about it. He's a pretty nice guy. I don't think he would mind." He pursed his lips, thinking. "Let's go say hi right now."

Sumi hesitated. "Um..."

"Come on." He grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the living room.

"Wait Keigo-" She stopped in mid-sentence when they entered the living room.

"Yo! Rito! How are you doing?" Keigo called out grinning.

The young man sitting on the couch sipping tea stopped and smiled at him. "Hello Keigo. Welcome home." His eyes shifted to the girl standing beside him. "And you must be the lost refugee staying at our home." He grinned warmly. Sumi was surprised that Keigo's uncle was fairly young and handsome. She had expected him to be older. With a beard.

"Um, yes." Sumi returned his smile and bowed. "Nice to meet you. My name is Sumi Mitsuki. I'm sorry for staying at your house without your approval."

The young man laughed. "Don't worry about it. I bet Keigo was really lonely without me here, so I'm fine with it. Plus the one you should be apologizing to would be your father. He's very worried about you when he found out you weren't at home."

"Huh?" Sumi looked confused for a second before her expression changed to surprise when a man walked into the living room stretching.

"Thanks Rito for letting me use your restroom." He noticed Keigo and Sumi standing beside the young man sitting down.

"Not at all." Rito smiled holding a hand up, to indicate Sumi. "Besides... Kyo..."

The man sprinted to Sumi's side and embraced her. "Sumi!"

Keigo was thrown off, but released Sumi's arm and smirked over to his uncle.

"Dad." Sumi hugged him back.

Her father released her and held her by her shoulders. "Please come home Sumi."

"But..."

"Don't worry about Mary and Liz. These things are bound to happen. You must presevere... And I would always love to see you when I come home." Her father gave her a warm look. "When I came home and found out that you weren't there. I was really worried!" He scratched his head and laughed. "I think I scared them. And Liz told me yesterday that you would probably be at Keigo Akiyama's home." He looked over to Keigo, who was smirking. "I had no idea who Keigo Akiyama was though, so I searched him up and found out the address. I came here not knowing that it was Rito's home." He chuckled. "Luckily Rito came back and we talked over my situation before I trample this whole place down looking for you."

"I'm sorry." Sumi gave her father an apologetic look. "But Keigo took really good care of me so I'm fine."

He made a face. "Thats good then... You guys didn't sleep together did you?" He eyed Keigo suspiciously.

Sumi suddenly remember that morning when she woke up to find herself beside him. Shaking her head to get rid of the thought, her father took it as a no.

Keigo had kept a straight face and didn't say anything, watching Sumi trying to refrain herself from blushing.

"Alright then." Her father embraced her again and then looked over to Keigo. Sticking out his hand, he introduced himself. "Kyo Mitsuki. I appreciate you taking care of my daughter."

Keigo shook his hand and gave a slight bow with his head. "Keigo Akiyama. Pleasure to meet you sir. It was not a problem."

Her father stood back, nodding. _He doesn't seem as bad as Mary had described him, though he may look kind of dangerous._ He thought to himself as he examined him, noting his pierced ears, messy hairstyle, unbuttoned shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and loose tie. _However, he did take care of Sumi... I hope he didn't do anything to her..._

"Since you are all doing introductions, I might well introduce myself properly to the little lady." Rito stood up and shook Sumi's hand. "I am Keigo's uncle, Rito Yagami."

Sumi nodded and bowed. "Thank you once again."

He smiled and put a hand on Keigo's shoulder. "Thank him. I wasn't even here."

She gave Keigo an appreciative look, smiling slightly. "I really appreciate it Keigo. I owe you a lot."

Keigo still kept up his smug look, but he was also trying to stop himself from blushing in front of Rito and her father.

Kyo Mitsuki then looked over to Keigo's uncle. "Rito, I'm going to take her back now if you don't mind. I thank you guys gratefully."

Rito nodded and said. "Take care then."

Sumi bowed to them before letting her father guide her out towards the door.

Watching their back side, Rito put an arm around Keigo's shoulder. "Cute." He smirked at Keigo. "First time I've seen you bring a girl back here. And she's Mitsuki's daughter." He stated and headed back towards the couch. "Interesting."

Keigo sat down as well and shrugged, not saying anything.

"Well, she'll be back in this house soon." Rito took a sip of his tea.

This made Keigo look at his uncle curiously. "Howcome?"

He smiled. "I'm having a ball soon I suppose, and perhaps you'll probably see most of your classmates here." He got up and gave him a wink before he left the room.

Keigo rested his head on his hands. _Hm... That... will be interesting..._

-------------------------------------------

Anna sat in Yoh's room, looking over her homework problems.

"Um, Anna?" Yoh's voice reached her ears, but she didn't look up as she continued writing.

"Hm?" She scribbled in her notebook.

"Are we not going to see your parents?" Yoh asked.

Anna stopped and looked over to him. "Nope. I called my father already. I need to finish my homework and the talent show crap is the day after tomorrow. So after Ren and HoroHoro get out of their practice we can practice our thing." Anna sighed. "Plus I can't face my parents with _this_ on my face." She pointed to the bruise on the side of her face. "Damn that girl..."

"Hm... that's true huh?" Yoh nodded. Anna had explained everything to him when they headed towards the nurse's office during Gym class. He sighed and turned back to his homework. _What can I do to protect Anna? This is getting out of hand..._

"Yoh..."

"Yeah?" He turned around to look at her. She went back to writing on her notebook.

"Thanks." Anna said as she focused on the paper before her. "For helping me out..."

Yoh smiled and turned back to his own work, feeling blissful. "No problem."

"I really appreciate it... So you don't have to try too hard..." Anna went on. "Everything is fine..."

Yoh smile faded a little. _Anna's working hard to convince me... and herself... that everything's fine..._ "...And even if it isn't... It will be..." _Because I'm going to try to make it better for you... Anna..._

_Thanks Yoh..._ Anna felt more comforted after hearing his words and just continued on working. _You really are something..._

-------------------------------

To fear love is to fear life.


	15. Chapter 15

.: So This is How it is:.

Anna was looking through her notes when she heard her name being called.

"Psst! Anna!"

She looked up and out the window. Sumi was smiling from her window and waving at her. Anna stood up. _She's back..._ She headed over to her window and opened it wide. Her window and Sumi's weren't close, but it wasn't that far that they couldn't hear each other. But she doubt they could cross over to each other's room with a ladder.

Sumi was leaning on her window sill and grinning at her. "Hi Anna. Are you feeling okay?"

"Of course. It's just a bruise." Anna was quiet for a second watching Sumi smile at her. "You're back at home now?"

Her smile slowly faded as she spoke. "Yeah... It's not like I don't want to be here... And I don't want it to seem like I'm throwing a tantrum... It's just that I feel like I don't belong here." She sighed, but gave a slight grin. "How are your parents?"

"Okay." Anna replied. "Are you ready for the show the day after tomorrow? How is working with Mika?"

"Surprisingly well." The girl standing on the other side of Anna started rubbing her ear. "They work pretty hard. We're going to perform this one song by Boa." She started to climb onto the window. "What are you guys doing?"

Anna casually leaned over the window, letting her arms hang outside. "Just wait and see. I'm not going to tell you."

"Aww Anna... Really?"

"Yeah... I'll let the suspense kill you."

Sumi placed her legs against the side of her window sill. "How's it going with the Hao issue?"

Anna had accidently slipped it out to Sumi one day when she was engulfed in anger, but Sumi had promised to keep it a secret. So other than telling Jeanne and Sumi, she was pretty sure no one else was aware of their situation except for Hao's group of friends. "Ugh! Don't even talk about that jerk!" She cried out and resulting in Sumi giggling.

"He is so infuriating and annoying! Not to mention arrogant and stupid! Thinking about him pisses me off! I can't believe that I'm engaged to that fool."

"Well at least you guys are trying to figure out how to go around it." She said optimistically.

"Yeah... But I don't see why all those girls are all so 'Kyaa! Kyaa!' about him. He's not that great." Anna mocked.

Sumi pondered a bit. "Don't those girls describe him as uh..."

"Hot. Sexy. Dazzling eyes. Amazingly beautiful brown hair. And incredibly irresistable, muscular body that everyone would drool over. Oh. And there's also that sexy smirk that he has on, which I would say is pretty annoying and frustrating to see." Anna muttered.

Sumi was grinning, amused. "Now if I didn't know you Anna, I would say that you -"

"DON'T FINISH THAT SENTENCE SUMI!" Anna commanded and then threatened. "Or else you wouldn't live to see another day..." She crossed her arms. "Plus I was just stating what the other girls say."

"Right." She looked at the sky. "Because there's also Yoh."

"WH-WHAT!" Anna stuttered and frowned at Sumi. _Now if we weren't separated by this gap..._

Sumi giggled. "I believe that Yoh is much more nicer and well suited for you Anna... though the sad thing is that he looks like Hao...who you seem to despise..."

"..."

"Don't be upset Anna. Things will work out." A warm smile greeted her.

_This Sumi... _Anna rubbed her temple. _...is somewhat like Yoh... Sometimes..._

-----------------

Anna sighed and asked dully. "Now... Who are you?"

Before her stood a guy smiling widely. He suddenly pointed to himself and stated proudly. "I am Chocolove McDowell! Future World's Best Comedian! And you Anna Kyoyama! Has captured my heart!"

Anna's mouth hung open in bewilderment. "Huh?"

Yoh, standing beside Anna started chuckling, amused. Ren was looking irritated with the person standing before him.

"I never saw someone so brave and independent!" He continued blabblering. "And to show you my admiration, I shall demonstrate one of my many great jokes!"

"Uh, wai-" Anna was cut off.

"What kind of cheese do you use to build a house?" Chocolove continued, ignoring her. He paused for a second to see Anna looking exasperated, Yoh staring blankly, and Ren wearing an annoyed expression. "Cottage Cheese! HAHAHAHA!" He laughed to himself loudly.

Anna, Yoh, and Ren sweatdropped and shared the same thought. _That... wasn't funny..._

"Get it? Get it?" Chocolove asked as he wiped away some tears that escaped from his eyes.

"Got class..." Anna muttered and walked past him, with Yoh and Ren following her.

Yoh grinned at Chocolove as he past him. "Work hard."

Ren pushed Yoh forward and grumbled to Yoh. "Don't encourage him..."

Chocolove sparkled at Yoh's encouragement and pumped his hand into the air with determination, making the crowd around him give him strange glances. "I will!" With that he ran off towards his classroom.

------------------------------

Anna grabbed her lunch and sat down beside Yoh. She opened her juice box and began to sip it.

"Where do burgers get to dance?" Chocolove popped up beside Anna, scaring her.

She sprayed out her juice that she was drinking to the person across from her.

"At a meatball! HAHAHAHA!" Chocolove shouted and laughed.

HoroHoro burst out laughing as he stared at Ren covered in juice and Yoh was trying to muffle his laugh.

Ren's eyebrow was now twitching as the juice dripped off of him. _I am... going..._

Anna jumped up, grabbing napkins. "I'm sorry Ren!"

Chocolove was sparkling happily from hearing HoroHoro's laughter ringing in his ears. He blushed merrily.

Ren smacked Chocolove in the head. "Don't ever do that again!"

"Ow!" He cried out, but then resumed sparkling happily. "But he likes my jokes! How can I stop now?" He pointed at HoroHoro, who looked confused.

"Who's this guy?" HoroHoro pointed at Chocolove and looked at Ren.

Ren humphed and took the napkins from Anna, nodding thanks to her.

"I am Chocolove McDowell!" He proudly introduced himself, grinning. "And I'm going to be the best comedian in the world!" He pointed at HoroHoro, who had his eyes widened in surprise at Chocolove's actions. "And there's no need to introduce yourselves because I know who you guys are! You're HoroHoro." He then pointed to Ren. "Ren!" His arm moved around. "Lyserg. Yoh. Anna! Jeanne. Sumi." He then pointed to the ones approaching. "Hao. Liz. Ryo. Pirika. Tamao." He paused. "Keigo. Takuya and Toshiro. I think."

"Huh?" They looked over to see Keigo heading over.

Hao approached the table first and gave a questioning look towards Keigo. "What are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously.

A smile played at his lips. "What? I can't come say hi?"

Around them, the other students were looking over with interest. It was rare for Keigo to approach Hao's table.

Keigo walked behind Sumi and placed his arms against the table, trapping her between his arms. She turned her head, but he had leaned close so that she still faced forward and he whispered into her ear. "What are you doing later on tonight?"

She leaned away from him to look at him with a smile. "Why? Wha-"

"She got plans with Anna." Hao interrupted and everyone stared at him. He shifted his gaze from Keigo to Anna. "Right Anna?"

Anna caught on and simply answered. "Yeah." _Wow... Hao... Throw me out in the open..._

Keigo smirked when he caught Liz's envious look at Hao and he stood up straight. "Anna can come too... but I guess I'll talk to you later about it..." Grinning down at Sumi, he gave her one last look before heading back to the twins and making their exit.

"How can you trust him?" HoroHoro asked when Sumi turned back.

She smiled. "He's nice. And not really how he seems." A finger went up to her lips and she guessed. "I bet he wanted to eat."

Ren shook his head and looked at Anna, who was glaring at Hao already. Anna closed her eyes and said simply to Sumi. "I guess Sumi, I'm going to check out your room today."

"Sure! Though there's not much to see."

"I doubt he wanted to eat. He probably has something scheming." HoroHoro suggested.

Sumi made a face. "No. Keigo is a nice person. You guys are misunderstanding him."

"Sumi. Don't trust people too easily like a certain person we all know. Because sometimes you'll just be disappointed." Lyserg finally spoke up, looking over to Sumi. Jeanne was looking at the ground, avoiding all eye contact with him possible.

"That's right." Ren added. "He seems like the type that attracts danger."

Sumi was quiet. She didn't want to argue and make them remember their unhappy times, bringing down their mood.

"He is rather cute though." Pirika stated.

Everyone turned to look at her. "Pirika. What are you doing here?" HoroHoro asked.

"What? HoroHoro I can't be here? I can't hang out with you?" Pirika asked, giving him a sad pouting look. _The safest place... is the most dangerous place..._

HoroHoro sighed. "Suit yourself. Do whatever. We already got this weirdo here, who I have no idea is." Indicating to Chocolove, who gasped.

"Then I shall introduce myself again!" He cried out brightly. "I'm Chocolove McDowell. The World's Best-"

Ren smacked him once again. "Cram it."

Anna shook her head, turning to Yoh she asked. "The teachers went over earthquake rules again. Do you think that there will be real earthquakes this time?"

Yoh shrugged. "I'm not sure. Usually when they go over it, we end up not having one, but you never know."

"They always make a big deal out of nothing." HoroHoro noted. "Our show is tomorrow."

"Yeah. I don't want to do it." Lyserg groaned. "How embarassing."

"I'm actually excited! I can't wait to tell more jo-"

Ren's hand came down again. "Who asked you?"

"We better pray for that earthquake then." HoroHoro sarcastically stated.

"Hey! You guys are picking on me!" Chocolove exclaimed.

"Well no one asked you to join us!"

"Wahh! Anna! They're being mean to me!"

"What does this have to do with me?!"

Hao, Liz, Jeanne, and Ryo were silent as they ate and watched the scene unfold before them. Yoh, Sumi, Pirika, and Tamao were laughing at them as Anna, HoroHoro, Chocolove, and Ren all started arguing and yelling. Lyserg was sitting beside Ren looking embarassed and attempting to hide his face, when the argument got even more meaningless. He looked up and spotted Yuna watching them, with an unreadable expression covering her face. _...Hm..._

-----------------------

Anna was sitting in Sumi's room talking with her when Sumi's maid, Hitomi knocked on the door and entered. She peeked her head in. "Sumi. There's a boy here for you."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." Sumi stood up and looked at Anna, who also stood up and followed her downstairs.

Keigo was was standing in the living room, conversating with her father, while Mary was glowering at him. He grinned at Sumi when she approached along with Anna. "Hey." He greeted.

Sumi smiled. "Hey. What's going on? Why are you here?"

Her father looked at Sumi. "He wants to take you guys to dinner, which is fine with me." He held up a hand. "So go have fun. Be safe."

_... _Anna stared at Keigo, who was chuckling and Sumi, who nodded at her father. _I guess... Sumi is right about him..._

They walked out with Mary Mitsuki clearly unhappy with the sitution, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

The next thing Anna knew, she was at a restaurant eating with Sumi and Keigo. Surprisingly, she saw how comfortable she was when she was with Sumi and Keigo. They were all conversating easily and sharing many laughs as they joked around. She never knew this was how Keigo was when he opens up.

"Ready to go girls?" Keigo asked, looking at them when they finished their meal.

"Yeah." Sumi and Anna answered. Standing up, they followed Keigo out into the street and headed towards his car. Anna got into the backseat and Sumi hopped in at the front.

"Do you guys want some yogurt before I take you guys home?" Keigo asked. "We'll make a quick stop."

"Sure." Anna answered and he grinned, starting the car.

He pulled out of the parking lot and into the street. Zooming past cars, he drove away from the restaurant and towards the yogurt place by the restaurant that Sumi was working at. He looked at the clock. It read ten-thirty so it was still open. Keigo parked the car and they all got out, entering the store. A few minutes later, they all walked back to the car with a yogurt cup in their hands.

"Mmk. Heading back now." Keigo said with the spoon in his mouth. Nodding, Sumi scooped another chunk of yogurt into her mouth.

Keigo back out and headed into the street. "Thanks Keigo." Sumi said and Keigo nodded with a smile, spoon still sticking out of his mouth. He glanced at her, but then noticed a car by the passenger side. The driver was looking at him.

Keigo quickly flickered his eyes to his side of the window and saw another car. His eyes then flew to the rear mirror and spotted another one behind them. _Shit... No..._

Anna caught Keigo's eyes shooting around, alert and she looked out the window. Keigo had stopped at the red light and the cars on both sides suddenly pointed something out at them. Her heart jumped and started pounding faster. _What?... Guns?..._

"Keigo?" Sumi had called out quietly.

"It's okay... Let me see what they want..." Keigo pulled the spoon out of this mouth and put it into the cup, which was on the cup holder. His eyes looked at both sides of the car, eyeing the guns. _Damn... if they weren't here, I would be more reckless and could probably get out of this... but since they are... I can't risk them getting hurt..._

_Should I floor it when the light turns green?_ He stared at the other side. There was another car, which was pulled over to the side, so Keigo guessed that it was waiting for them._ Hm... I need to get them home..._ _Should I get into a car accident?_ He shook his head. Someone could get hurt.

The person on the driver side was waving his gun and then suddenly ordered loudly. "Follow that car up there!"

Anna stared, clutching her cup. _Is Keigo in a gang? What is this?_

Keigo nodded. "Get down guys." He quickly muttered to them and floored the car, when the light turned green. However, he wasn't surprised when all the cars still kept at all sides of his car, preventing all exit. He wanted to slam on the brakes, but he remembered that Anna was in the back seat, so if the car behind them collided into them, Anna could be possibly hurt. He growled when the car parked on the side darted in front of him, taking away his last escape route. Leaving him no choice, he followed the cars.

-------------------------------

"Come on guys! Enjoy this!" Ren frowned at HoroHoro and Lyserg as they were standing in a crowd on the side of the street. Before them were rows and rows of cars, parked and waiting. "HoroHoro! You were the one that wanted to come last time!" He growled.

"And when I finally decided to come along. You guys are like this." Ren crossed his arms. "Shall we head back then?"

HoroHoro scratched his head. "Thanks Ren. I know you are trying to cheer us up, but I don't need to be cheered up!" He swung an arm around Ren's neck. "Cause there's nothing wrong with me!" He laughed and swung his other arm around Lyserg. "This guy right here though, is depressed just because he rejected a girl."

Lyserg pushed HoroHoro's arm off him. "What are you talking about? I'm fine!"

Ren gave a slight grin. He knew HoroHoro was pretending to act all tough and was in fact trying to keep his feelings hidden. However, Ren knew what HoroHoro was like and acting like nothing phases him was one of the things that HoroHoro usually did. He was pretty sure that the rest of them were all aware of this too. They have been together too much to not be able to tell.

"Let's see this then!" HoroHoro shouted and darted towards the street with Lyserg and Ren tailing him. They stopped at the side before the street. Down the whole side of the street were filled with people, shouting and cheering.

Ren looked across and spotted the twins, Takuya and Toshiro standing there. It wasn't a surprise to them because of the couple times that they had been there, the twins were there as well, along with Keigo. They looked upset however, and bothered. His eyes scanned the area and his breath was caught short when he saw Yuna. She was with that man. He clenched his fists. The man that used him. Ikuto Matsumoto.

Ren watched him approach the twins, who were glaring at him. He clenched his fists tighter, waiting to see what happens next. Beside him, he heard people from the crowd murmur.

"I heard that today Ikuto is having Luchist Lasso race for him against Keigo."

"That old guy? Against Keigo?"

"Yeah. Even though Keigo hasn't showed for the couple of days, Ikuto announced that he was going to."

"You mean Keigo as in that tough high schooler kid?"

Ren focused back on watching the twins and Ikuto. The twins were shaking their heads, but Ikuto was still smirking.

Lyserg and HoroHoro were glancing around until they spotted Yuna with a man that looked around twenties. HoroHoro suddenly erupted with anger. "Damn that Yuna! What is she doing here?" HoroHoro gritted his teeth and was about to march over there, but Lyserg held him back and both of them looked at Ren.

"Ren. Doing okay?" Lyserg asked.

"Yeah..." Ren answered and scrunched up his face. "I wonder if Keigo is going to show."

Ikuto suddenly caught Ren staring and just scoffed, looking back at Ren. Yuna and the twins had also looked over and were surprised to see them standing there. Then suddenly five cars pulled up. They saw the twins frown and concern crossed over their faces.

The cars surrounding the one car all came out and the cars that were on the sides were pointing guns at the middle car. Ren furrowed his brow as he saw that the crowd had quieted down and began to murmur as they watched them. Apparently, a few of the cars were already racing, but everyone was waiting and watching to see what was going on to bother to shout about the others. _What... the..._

The people in the middle car stayed inside for awhile, not coming out until a person on the side began to wave his gun around, indicating for them to get out. The driver door opened and Keigo stepped out, wearing an angry expression. A gun was pointed at him and Ren could see him hiss.

Then to his surprise, one of the other guys flung open the passenger door and yanked a person out.

"Sumi!" HoroHoro cried out surprised and saw that following out Sumi was Anna. "Oh god Anna!"

Ren clenched his fists even tighter as the cars zoomed past them. "Call Yoh!" He barked.

Guns were pointed at both Sumi and Anna as they were pulled away from the car. Ren saw Keigo glanced at both Anna and Sumi and glared at Ikuto standing off to the side.

---------------------------

Yoh just got out of the shower when his cell phone rang. He grabbed it off his desk and pressed it to his ear. Before he could even say 'Hello,' the person on the other end shouted in his ear.

"Yoh! You better get out here quick. You wouldn't believe who's here! Keigo just showed up and Anna and Sumi are with him!" HoroHoro's voice came through the phone urgently.

"Huh?"

"There are guns pointed at them! GUNS! Looks like they were for-"

Yoh hung up and quickly got changed, then ran to Hao's room within the minute. "HAO!"

Hao was lying on his bed, talking on the phone when Yoh rushed in shouting his name. "Whoa! What's going on Yoh? You hardly shout that urgently." He had quickly sat up with the phone to his ear. "Wait hold on Liz..." He spoke into the phone as he stared at his brother.

"They just called me and Anna and Sumi are there! Let's go! HoroHoro said something about guns!" Yoh shouted and without waiting for a response, he darted back out the door.

_Sumi and Anna in a dangerous area?... No way..._ Hao hastily jumped up, grabbing a jacket as he spoke. "Uh... I'll call you later Liz."

"Wait! What's going on? I heard Yoh say Sumi. Where are you going?" Her voice shouted back.

"Got to go. Tell you later! Bye!" He said quickly and hung up, running after Yoh.

-----------------------------

Keigo approached Ikuto with one of his henchmen still pointing a gun at him. "Ikuto, what do you think you're doing?" He asked, his eyes hard.

The man standing beside Yuna chuckled. "Oh Keigo... You haven't been showing up for the last couple so, desperate to see you, I had to come up with a different plan."

"If so..." Keigo growled. "You see me. Now pull those guns away from them."

Ikuto laughed. "Of course not. You see, we have to make a negotiation... before I let them go."

"What?" Keigo's face twisted into anger. "You cheati-"

The gun clicked when Keigo took a step forward and he stopped moving, still fuming angrily.

"Keigo!" Takuya and Toshiro began to run towards him, but more guns were pulled out and they frozed, holding their hands up, backing off.

"Ikuto." Yuna looked at him, as if to ask 'What are you doing?'

Anna was standing there with her arms crossed, glaring at the person who was holding them hostage. Her heart stopped beating so fast and had resumed the normal pace after a while. _ I didn't know Keigo was involved with illegal street racing... But then again... I don't know him too well... _She looked at Keigo to see him approached a man beside Yuna. _What was she doing here?_ Anna thought to herself. Behind them, Anna could see the twins and then off to the side, Anna's eyes caught the two men that broke into her home. _What? Don't tell me... That somehow... everything is linked together..._

"..." Keigo finally asked. "So what is it that you want?"

Ikuto cupped his hands together. "Simple. I'm going to announce that you will be racing against Luchist Lasso." Another man appeared behind Ikuto. "With everyone here as witnesses, you won't be saying that I'm cheating you. If you win, I'll let you, and your little friends over there go. However," He took a step closer to Keigo. "if you happen to lose, you need to do something for me."

"And what is that?" He asked cautiously.

"You'll find out after the race."

"And if I refuse?"

His smile faltered a bit. "If you refuse... then they're both going home with me."

Keigo frowned. _What can I do? There's no easy way out..._

"You don't have much of an option. Accept this offer." Ikuto glanced to the older man and nodded.

_He's forcing me to a corner..._ Keigo glanced at Sumi and Anna, who were staring at him with worry. _This is stupid..._

Anna saw Keigo turn to look at them, expression frustrated. She narrowed her eyes. _That man probably made a deal with Keigo..._ _We probably made things complicated for him..._

Sumi bit her lip as she watched them talk. Ikuto glanced at her once or twice, giving her a smug confident look. _I wonder what's he up to..._

Keigo turned back to face Ikuto. "I'm going to win this stupid shit. I won't lose to you." He said angrily. _I can't believe I have to give in to this guy..._

"This is why I told you not to form such close bonds Keigo..." He smirked and held up his hand and pointed at the cars. "It's easy to push people around when they're vunerable."

The people ran to move the cars away from Keigo's and a person began to announce Keigo's and Luchist's race.

Ren, HoroHoro, and Lyserg were on the other side of the street watching them. "What should we do?" Lyserg asked. "It looks like they drew Keigo in."

"He probably made a deal with Ikuto." Ren stated quietly. _Black market stuff is complicated..._

"Lets go bust over there and get Sumi and Anna away from those people!" HoroHoro suggested heatedly.

"Idiot. If we go over there, all those guns would be pointed at us. What do we do then?" Ren gave HoroHoro a cold stare.

They watched as Anna and Sumi were dragged to the side beside the twins and Yuna had walked forward when both cars pulled forward. Yuna made eye contact with Ren and she looked away, ashamed. Facing the cars, she held up her hands.

"Ren! HoroHoro! Lyserg!" Hao and Yoh called out to them as they ran up to them to see Yuna standing on the street. The crowd around them began to cheer.

Hao stared at the drivers."Keigo!" He said surprised, right as Yuna brought her hands down and both cars took off. He turned to Ren and the others, asking quickly. "Where are Anna and Sumi?"

Ren shifted his head to indicate the other side of the street. Hao's eyes flew to the other side and without waiting, darted towards the street to the other side.

"Hao!" Yoh called out and ran after his brother. HoroHoro didn't hesitate either and ran after them. Lyserg gave Ren a worried look before chasing after them as well. Ren shook his head in disbelief. _Figured for them to just charge right in without thinking about it..._

When Ren caught up, Hao was standing there in the middle as all their weapons pointed at Hao. _Thought so..._

Anna and Sumi were surprised to see them there. _Huh?_ Anna felt cold metal pressed against her side. _What are they doing here?_

Hao glared. "What are you doing?" He faced Ikuto, giving him a deadly look.

"Ah! The rich pretty boys are here. So Hao Asakura! You finally decided to come out and play as well." He put an arm around Yuna's shoulders.

"Let them go." Hao's tone was firm. He saw that the men were pressing the guns against Sumi's neck and Anna's side.

Ikuto chuckled. "Ah, but I can't. Keigo has to fulfill the deal we made. So you have no right to interfere."

A growl escaped Hao's throat and he took a step forward. All the guns clicked and he paused. He took another step forward, but nothing else moved.

Hao was about to take another, but Ikuto held up his hand. "Don't shoot him. He's got guts." He smirked. "I like him."

"..."

"But if you take another step..." A pause. "Your fiancee and your girlfriend here might be in danger..." The guns pressing against Anna and Sumi clicked.

_Fiancee? Girlfriend? _Hao frowned. "You're wrong. They aren't my fiancee or girlfriend."

"I might be wrong about your girlfriend, but guessing from previous meetings I had with you. She seems to be someone important to you. However, I am fully aware that this little lady right here is your fiancee." Ikuto said coolly.

_How does he know? _ He didn't understand Ikuto at all. Who exactly was he? The crowd on the side were cheering away, but none of them focused on them.

Yoh, who was standing behind Hao, now inched forward slowly.

"Nuh Uh. You guys better move yourselves over to the side, and wait patiently for Keigo's arrival or else things might get out of hand." He disregarded them like nothing, but they didn't want to take the risk when both Anna and Sumi were in danger.

Having no other choice but to obey him, the group moved to the side, waiting. Anna glanced at Sumi, both of them were trying to come up with a plan to escape, but some were rather dangerous to attempt.

"I have to go to the restroom." Anna stated, looking at the person holding the gun to her. The person looked surprised, but then frowned.

"Hold it in." He ordered.

Anna made a face. "I really have to go."

The person looked confused as he was thinking about it. "Ikuto, this girl needs to go to the bathroom, what should we do?"

Ikuto smiled, his eyes cold. "Hold it in. You aren't going anywhere. Plus there's no bathroom around here."

"What? You want me to pee in my pants?" Anna stated harshly, hissing at him.

"Suit yourself. It's not my embarassment."

_These cruel people..._ Anna waited, thinking.

"If you are thinking about escaping, there's no point. I'll eventually release you anyways. I simply just need you to pressure Keigo into doing certain things for me." Ikuto stared at Sumi and Anna. "Just listen to me and you'll be okay. For now."

Sumi exhaled. "What do you want with him?"

Everyone else had heard what Ikuto said and were still constantly watching him. Ikuto removed his arm from Yuna's shoulder and then walked towards Sumi.

Hao and everyone else moved as well and the guns all flew in different directions, pointing at everyone that tried to move.

"That's for me to know." He stood in front of her and then glanced at Anna.

The crowd cheered again and suddenly Keigo's voice came loud and clear. "IKUTO!"

The man standing before Sumi whipped around to see an angry Keigo storming up to him. "You basta-"

Ikuto pushed the guy to the side and pulled Sumi under his arm, pressing a knife to her cheek, smiling. "Yes?"

Sumi grabbed his arm, trying to free her neck from the choke hold he had her in. _He's pretty crooked..._

"You bastard..." Keigo snarled. "Let her go."

"Oh I will."

"I beat your Luchist Lasso, so let them go." Keigo only needed a few more steps to reach Ikuto. He clenched his fist. "I thought this was a fair race, but you tried to have me run off the road! Are you trying to kill me?"

A chortle emerged from Ikuto's throat. "Of course not. You won't die that easily." He pressed his face against the side of Sumi's. "I was hoping that you would lose... but I guess it's not surprising that you didn't..."

_I want to stomp his foot..._ Sumi's mind contemplated, when he was talking by the side of her ear. _But... I doubt the outcome wouldn't be the same as last time..._

"So our agreement?" Keigo said slowly, gritting his teeth, trying to hold his patience. He had caught in the corner of his eyes, Hao, Yoh, and the others standing there watching. _They're here too..._

"Right..." He slowly removed the knife from her cheek and pocketed it. Leaning close, he licked her ear, making her tense up.

Every time that Sumi continued meeting him, she felt more uncomfortable with him around. There was just something about him that made her feel... uneasy...

"Ikuto..." Keigo's tone was forced.

Sumi brought her elbow hard against his chest and she felt his grip on her loosen. She broke out of his hold and was about to turn around to face him, but a hand grabbed her wrist and she was pulled back. He was holding her hand up high and he leaned down, breathing in her face. "Don't do that again." His voice roughly commanded, clearly annoyed. "I was going to let you go anyways."

He swung her towards Keigo, making her stumble. She caught herself and Keigo caught her elbow. They looked towards Ikuto, who walked over to Anna and grabbed her arm. He pulled her towards him and was about to push her roughly towards the others, but Anna was annoyed that she was being pulled around. So without warning, she had instinctively kicked him. Hard. Between the legs.

Ikuto knealt over gasping with Anna frowning. Hao, Yoh, Ren, HoroHoro, Lyserg, and the twins were trying not to laugh. Keigo and Sumi just looked surprised.

"Boss!" His henchmen shouted and moved towards him worried and hastily.

Sumi tugged Keigo's sleeve, indicating for them to make their exit. It seemed everyone else got the same idea and everyone scattered. Not only that, but sirens suddenly sounded, causing panic within the crowd and chaos as everyone began running in different directions.

------------------------------

Anna stood in the auditorium. The sound of students were buzzing noisily as she stared at the stage. _Oh great..._ First the event last night, and now, she had to face this. She took a deep breath. After they had escaped from that mass chaos, everyone had decided to follow Keigo and show up at her doorstep. She had told them what happened and reassured Keigo that it wasn't his fault. What she found out surprised her though and she realized that she didn't know the guys too well either. She never knew that they attend such events. Anna closed her eyes. _Well... I guess it explains Hao's reckless driving..._

"Anna!"

She opened her eyes to see Yoh. "Don't bother me. Don't sit next to me. I'll see you right before we start." She mumbled tiredly.

"Anna?" Yoh stopped and stared at her along with HoroHoro and Ren.

"Go away."

Yoh just ignored her and plopped down into the seat beside her. HoroHoro and Ren shrugged and sat down as well. "Are you nervous Anna?"

"..." She turned to face him. "What did I just say?"

Yoh grinned at her. "It's okay. We'll be up there with you."

_He is totally not listening to me..._ Anna punched his shoulder and then faced forward angrily. "You aren't giving me time to calm myself down by bothering me."

"Doesn't my presence calm you a bit?"

_I swear... sometimes he's just like Hao..._ Anna closed her eyes and then decided to ignore him. Butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. She could hear the teacher making announcements about where they must sit at and how the parents are going to be seated in a different section. All the chattering indicated that they weren't listening to the teacher however.

"Hi guys." Sumi appeared looking at them. She gazed over them nervously. "Um, I can't find my group..."

"Do they know where to meet you?" Anna peeked an eye open.

"Yeah... but they still haven't showed up." She paused, looking around. "And... Mika signed us up to be one of the first ones to go..."

"She'll probably show up soon." Ren assured. "Just sit and wait for her."

"Okay..."

A couple more minutes passed and parents began piling into the place, filling up the auditorium.

"Where are the others?" HoroHoro asked.

"With their group." Ren's response came.

"They're still not here..."

"Maybe they're late from doing make up." HoroHoro suggested.

"Maybe..."

The place began to darken and the principal came on stage with the bright light shining onto her. "Hi parents and students. I'm Gorudoba, principal of the school as you may know. I'm very happy to allow these students to demonstrate some of their talents to share with you parents. Many rarely have the opportunity to see you and this is a rare chance that parents get to see how special and talented their children really are. I also would like to take this opportunity to announce that the ownership of this school now belongs to the Asakuras, but everything would resume the way they are and nothing will change." Clapping was heard as the somewhere among the mass of parents, the Asakuras stood up holding their hands up to be recognized. "Now for the students, lets begin!"

A teacher now went onto stage and announced the first group to come up and perform.

"They're still not here..." Sumi said worried, scanning continuously.

Anna frowned. _Are they seriously not going to show?_

The group finished and the teached called out Sumi's group. She frozed, then took a deep breath. Giving one last scan, she hesitantly smiled and walked towards the stage, ignoring her pounding heart.

-------------------------------

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.  
_- Dr. Seuss_


	16. Chapter 16

.: So This is How it is:.

Sumi stood on stage and stared out into the audience. She cleared her throat and as she grabbed the microphone and pulled it towards her, as she spoke into it. Her voice echoed throughout the theater silencing the audience's chatter. "Hi, my name is Sumi Mitsuki. Um, I think that something must have happened to my group so they couldn't make it to today's show, so… to tell you the truth I really don't know what to do." Her voice faded.

Liz was watching Sumi speak on stage when Mika and her two partners sat down a few seats away from her. She stared at them as they were smirking and giggling, leaning back into their seat with satisfied expressions. _That's low… They were practicing for a whole week and they're just going to not perform it?_

"But that's okay. I'll try my best and make them proud!" Sumi declared happily and smiled gently.

Mika and the two fan girls looked surprised at her comeback when Liz was watching to see their reaction. In fact, the students that were performing that were sitting by them were glowering at them with accusing eyes.

Sumi walked over to the piano on the side and sat down. "This is a song that I learned from someone that was very special to me." Putting her hands to the keys, she began playing. (The piano version of this song, Not owned by me. /watch?v=gkwqvCiLL7I)

(The song: /watch?v=TiErGV67GEM&feature=related)

"Dang shi jie bu zhi bu jue de bian le…" Her clear strong voice sounded beautifully as it flowed along with the piano music being played. "You shi hou wo huai nian yi qian de wo…"

_She's singing in Chinese!_ Liz watched her with a stunned expression of surprise and sudden envy. Everyone around was staring with wide eyes and amazement at her hidden talents. Mika and the girls had dropped their mouths open and just couldn't close them at the moment due to the shock they received when Sumi's voice rang in their ears.

The crowd of parents were gasping and also trapped in the bind of her voice. But because she was singing in Chinese, very few people actually knew what she was singing about, but they were too busy absorbed into the tune to even bother to care.

"S-S-Sumi…" Keiko Asakura managed to gasped out. "S-Sumi…" She whispered.

"Keiko? Are you alright?" Mikihisa Asakura asked his wife as he touched her arm gently.

She didn't answer him, but remained transfixed on the girl playing the piano and singing in an incomprehensible language. Her eyes watched as the girl swayed and closed her eyes to the music she was producing. "Sumi…" She whispered again.

Mr. Mitsuki rushed to the auditorium as fast as he could. _Sumi, why did you have to go first? Why couldn't you go last or something?_ He pushed the door open to reveal none other than Sumi already performing. His breath got caught when he realized that she was singing. He was already aware of the talent of her voice, but it wasn't just her voice that still threw him off guard, but the song that she was singing. Though he wasn't Chinese and couldn't understand, it was something that Sumi's mother use to sing and he stood there watching his daughter perform, remembering the meaning behind the song when his wife explained to him. "Sumi…"

"Wo duo bu she de duo bu dong de…" Her attention were only on the keys under her fingers as the words easily tumbled out of her mouth after each breath. "Shui shuo ge ai cai geng shen ke…"

HoroHoro was sitting beside Ren and Yoh, so keeping his eyes on Sumi he poked Ren and with his mouth hanging open he asked. "Ren… What is she saying? You know Chinese right?"

Ren had tried to keep his face in a serious manner, but he couldn't help but be like everyone else and watched in awe. "Is someone taping this? I'll direct translate it for you later…"

HoroHoro nodded. "Yeah…. Okay…"

Anna smiled. _That Sumi… Just when they thought they brought her down, she rises back up again. Figures… Just like her to always throw everyone off… Props to you… You're doing great…_

Hao felt his chest tightened as the music played in his ear. An image of a younger him and Yoh peeking through a door to see a woman and a little girl on a piano and singing flashed quickly in his mind. His breath quickened as his heart pounded faster. _It's her? It can't be…_

As she pushed the last key on the piano, she looked over to the audience to see her father standing at the doorway watching her. With a small smile, Sumi pushed herself up away from the piano to stand up, but suddenly someone called out her name.

"Sumi!"

Sumi turned her head to see a teary-eyed woman biting her lower lip and standing up from her seat. The audience began to applause and cheer, drowning away her calls.

"Sumi!" Keiko Asakura cried out again. "Sumi!"

"Keiko!" Mikihisa had now also stood up, grabbing her arm. "Please sit down. Keiko!"

Hao had looked over and saw his mother standing up calling out to Sumi. His eyes shifted to Sumi to see her reaction. She looked confused and as if she was struggling to remember if she knew the woman calling out her name. He stood up and saw that Yoh had also stood up to watch their mother worriedly.

Mr. Mitsuki saw the Asakura family all standing up and thought to himself. _The Asakuras? Here?_ He clenched his fist and went up to Mr. and Mrs. Asakura. He looked at the teary woman, who looked liked she was about to run on stage if her husband wasn't holding her there. "It's okay. You can talk to her after the show."

"He's right Keiko, so please sit." Her husband said gently, cooing her to sit down. Slowly she sat down back into her seat and Mikihisa Asakura looked at the man. "Thank you."

Hao and Yoh, seeing that their mother was sitting down once again, also reunited with their seat. _There's a man over there…_ Hao laid back into his seat, eyeing them.

"Mikihisa Asakura." He stuck out his hand with a friendly grin.

Mr. Mitsuki returned the grin and grabbed his hand in a handshake. "Kyo Mitsuki. Pleasure to meet you."

Keiko Asakura's eyes suddenly became wide and looked at Mr. Mitsuki with surprise. "Mitsuki? Are- are you…"

With a comforting smile, he answered before she finished. "Sumi's father. Yes. Pleasure to meet you again after so many years."

--------------------------

Mary Mitsuki had her mouth in a grim tight line as she sat beside a couple other parents. She saw the Asakuras standing up and calling out to Sumi. _That girl..._ She looked for her daughter and spotted her looking confused as she watched Sumi. Watching her husband go up to them, the parents beside her murmur, asking her.

"Wasn't that your daughter?"

"Wow, she's amazing."

"Is your husband with the Asakuras? Wow."

Mary just smiled. _How do the Asakuras know Sumi? _She questioned and watched the girl walk backstage.

-------------------

"Okay, Sumi was great... but why do we have to face that now!" HoroHoro shouted and pointed to the stage as he looked over to Ren.

"Deal with it. We can't do anything." Ren grumbled, seeing Keigo finally run backstage after barging into the auditorium halfway through Sumi's performance.

HoroHoro clasped his hands together. "Please, please come earthquake." He begged.

Chocolove stood on stage and flashed a piece sign. "Ladies and gentleman! I am Chocolove! And I'm going to be the best comedian in the world!"

HoroHoro shut his eyes tighter, now shaking his hands. "I know that I haven't been the best. But don't make me suffer through this! Earthquake, help me!"

"I've prepared some of my best jokes and I am extremely happy to share it with -"

"You idiot. You're begging for an earth-" Anna started and the ground suddenly rumbled. "-quake?" _Huh?_

"No way..." Ren managed to say before the whole building began to shake. "HOROHORO! I swear I'm-"

"I'm SORRY! I'M SORRY!" HoroHoro frantically cried out. "I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN!"

Screams and startled cries ran through the audience as everyone began to duck down in their seats.

On stage, Chocolove squealled frightened and curled up on the floor. The principal quickly darted on stage, grabbing the microphone when the earthquake still continued on. "Everyone, I would like to ask you to please exit-" She sweatdropped as everyone began running outside without waiting to hear the rest."- calmly..." She sighed and also made her escape.

_Great another chaotic stampede..._ Anna thought as she crouched down.

Yoh grabbed her hand as he began to crawl forward. "Let's go Anna."

"Wow... This earthquake sure is lasting long..." HoroHoro said as he followed them towards the exit. He quickly looked up and skimming the faces of people. He let out a sigh or relief when he saw that his sister was by the exit.

"And who was it that asked for one?" Ren snapped turning around to look at him.

"Right... But at least the parents and us don't have to suffer through his not funny jokes." HoroHoro pointed out lightly. "You're glad too."

"Shut up BoroBoro."

"Hey! Don't call me that!"

"Both of you shut up. We're in a life and death situation and here you guys are, arguing. Don't be so stupid." Anna had turned around in front of Ren and glared at them.

Ren spotted Yoh holding Anna's hand when she turned around. _...Right... I forgot... Yoh likes Anna..._

HoroHoro just muttered sorry and then silently followed them out the door.

----

Jeanne tripped and fell onto the floor when the mass of students were hastily trying to run out the door. She pushed herself up only to be knocked down again. Her chest was throbbing nervously and she couldn't ignore the fact that she was frightened. Suddenly she felt arm encircled her waist and she was pulled up to a standing position. She felt her face heat up and her heart pound ten times faster when she looked to see who it was.

Lyserg was holding her by the waist and now guiding her towards the exit. "Idiot..." He muttered.

Jeanne couldn't think that moment. She felt so jiggly and unstable. She wasn't ready to face him yet. Not when she was already not thinking straight.

Somehow they made it outside without Jeanne realizing and Lyserg slowly let her go, holding her arm in case she couldn't support herself. "Are you okay?" He asked slowly, seeing her unfocused eyes.

Sighing, he led her towards the bench and sat down beside her. "Jeanne... I know you don't want to talk to me or see me yet, but honestly, you can't stay like this forever."

Jeanne seem to snap out of her trance and she looked at him. "Do you not realize what you are doing to me?" Her voice shook. "I should have never met you so I wouldn't feel this way."

Lyserg was quiet for a moment. "Live with no regrets Jeanne. That's the way life is." He said quietly.

"You say that because you've never been hurt." She glared and Lyserg frowned.

_That's a lie..._ Lyserg wasn't going to tell her though, so he just kept silent.

"Honestly... Thinking about you kept me going." She reddened, but there was a depressed look covering her face as she looked into her lap.

"Don't make me the only reason you live Jeanne." Lyserg stared at the girl sitting beside him. "There's so much to live for."

"Is there?" Jeanne said dully. "My life isn't as simple as you think it is. You don't know how it feels like to be me. You don't know what I go through each day. You don't know how unbearable it is sometimes. You don't face these things…" She looked at him, trying to hold back her tears, but they were running down her face.

Lyserg was stunned. _What should I do?_ He hesitantly put his hand to her face to wipe away her tears. "I don't... But it doesn't mean that I don't have my fair share of problems. And I still go through each day just fine. You have to be more brave Jeanne."

He pulled his hand away. "You have to be more confident. Live life to the fullest. Don't be scared and don't regret things. You'll realize how much other things you'll miss if you continue hiding."

_Stupid Lyserg... You just made me like you more..._ Jeanne shut her eyes, trying to hold back more tears. "Is that why you like Sumi?"

Lyserg was taken aback. "It's not that..." He paused. "It's just that she reminds me of Yoh sometimes..." _Plus there's Keigo and Hao, and it's too complicated to get involved._

Jeanne gave a bitter laugh. "And you tell me to be more confident..." She sighed. _Will you be willing to give me a chance?_

He gave a slight grin. "Are we going to be friends again? You've been avoiding me for awhile."

She replied after a bit of hesitation. "Yeah." _Friends... I guess it's a start..._ Jeanne smiled back.

Lyserg made no move to hug her or any of the sort. _We're going have to take this slow... and then we'll see what happens..._ He looked up at the sky. The ground had stopped shaking and they shared a calm comforting silence.

-----------------------

"Well, it looks like they're going to cancel the show." HoroHoro stated as he looked around at the mass of people. "I wonder where are Hao and Lyserg."

Ren had his eyes closed. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're fine. The principal said that everyone got out safe."

"Yoh!"

They looked over to see Yoh's parents and a man run up to them. "Yoh!" The woman nearly tackled Yoh down as she hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Mom. I'm okay." Yoh grinned, embarassed when she released him.

"Where's Hao?" She asked worried, looking around.

"I saw him run backstage after Sumi performed..." Liz said bitterly as she approached with her mother.

Anna watched the woman hugged the man standing beside the Asakuras. _That must be Sumi's father._

"I hope he's alright..." Mrs. Asakura said, voice full of concern.

"Don't worry Mrs. Asakura. I'm sure Hao will be fine." Ren confirmed. "He's -"

"Ren!" Arms were thrown around his neck, squeezing him tightly. Ren groaned and flushed.

"Jun! Please restrain yourself." Ren said harshly, then asked slowly. "Our family didn't come did they?"

Jun shook her head and Ren let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Otherwise Father would be pissed." He wasn't close with his father. His family... he rather say... was complicated... Too much hatred...

"HoroHoro!" Pirika ran up to them with Tamao and their parents following behind. The parents had all began to gather together and talking.

"At least you guys are all safe. Lyserg and Jeanne are alright too." Ryo had also approached them without warning. "Now... the people missing would be Hao... and Sumi..."

As if on cue, Sumi was walking towards them between Keigo and Hao, who were glaring at each other. She was laughing nervously as she pointed to the group.

Keiko Asakura darted to her son's side and hugged him tightly. "Hao, you're okay!" She smiled warmly at him.

"I guess I'll go. I'll see you later Sumi." Keigo said quickly, but a hand grabbed his arm. He looked to see his uncle, grinning at him.

"And where were you today? Look. You aren't even dressed appropriately. Where did you go this morning? You even showed up to the show late. I saw you run in during her performance..." He continued lecturing, until Sumi's father put a hand on Keigo's uncle's shoulder.

Keiko Asakura looked over to Sumi standing beside Hao and surprisingly, threw her arms around her, hugging her. Both Liz and Mary Mitsuki were surprised. Not only them, but so was everyone else except for Yoh, Mikihisa Asakura, and Sumi's father.

_Why is mom hugging her?_ Hao questioned.

"Oh Sumi, I'm glad to see you all grown up and a still a talented young beautiful girl..." She murmured.

"Um... Sorry... Mrs... Asakura..." She was released and they met eye contact. "I've met you before?"

She grinned. "It's okay. You were young when we met. I'm not surprised that you don't remember. I was your mother's best friend."

Mary Mitsuki was hit with envy, but she kept her jealousy in and just watched quietly.

"My mother?" Sumi was surprised and felt this strange feeling because she had hardly ever talked about her mother.

"Yeah." Keiko Asakura smiled brightly. She looked around at everyone else. Holding her hands together, she offered. "Why don't everyone come to our home for tea? Since the show doesn't seem to be continuing anymore." The other families had begun to disperse, leaving the campus grounds after the prinipal had announced that they were cancelling the show to mend the things that had fallen in the auditorium. A few other families were watching them and talking to themselves.

"Sure why not?" The Usui family nodded at each other.

Kyo Mitsuki nodded in agreement. "Are you coming Rito?"

Rito Yagami shrugged. "Sure." Smiling at Keigo, who had his arms crossed, clearly not happy.

"I wish your parents were here as well Anna." Keiko Asakura looked at Anna, who shrugged. "It'll be fun."

"Who said they weren't here?"

Anna turned around surprised to see her father hopping over in crutches. "Father! What are you doing? You should be in the hospital!" Anna rushed over, worried.

"That's right Mr. Kyoyama." Yoh looked at him.

"But I wanted to see my baby sing." Mr. Kyoyama winked at Yoh, who grinned. "However, it looks like it won't be happening."

Anna glared at Yoh, who was chuckling. _I'm going to kill you later Yoh..._

"Yeah... Because someone was praying for an earthquake..." Ren rolled his eyes and said sarcastically.

HoroHoro scratched his head. "Yeah... I wonder who..."

"HoroHoro... Don't tell me..." Pirika muttered, staring at her brother, who began giggling.

------------------------------

At the Asakura's house, everyone entered chattering to one another, making quite a lot of noise. Keigo just dropped himself onto the couch and watched everyone talked animatedly. He was tired, so closing his eyes, he rubbed his temple.

The twins had called him early in the morning because they had gotten into some trouble. He had rushed out to help them. However, he wasn't going to tell his uncle that he was late because he was fighting. He sighed. _Too much going on..._

He didn't feel like he belonged there. This wasn't the group he hung out with. They were pampered and lived peacefully their whole lives. While him on the other hand, hasn't always been like that.

He had shuffled from family to family after his parents died. No one had wanted him, until his young uncle, angry with the family decided to take him in himself. Therefore he was really grateful to him. The family had said that he was too young to raise a child himself and plus what about his chances of getting a wife? Keigo sighed. He hoped that he wasn't taking his uncle's chances of getting married. However, during his time of living with his uncle, his uncle had prospered and became very successful, making him one of the few young people to stike it rich at such an age.

Keigo looked over to see the others coming to sit on the couch. It seemed that Lyseg had also arrived. He chuckled inwardly to himself. It was ironic how these people have everything they want yet they still attend such illegal and dangerous even such as street racing. He was trying to escape it and leave, but it seemed more difficult than he thought. Funny how they were opposites.

"Sumi! Watch this!" Keiko Asakura had said as she entered a tape into the machine. Keigo's attention flew to Sumi.

Sumi had stopped and stared at the screen to see a younger version of herself in a commercial along with a younger version of Hao and Yoh.

Hao had his mouth dropped open as well as Liz. Everyone else except for Yoh and few of the parents were surprised.

Hao was embarassed and surprised. "Mom! Why are you showing this?"

HoroHoro, Ren, and Anna were laughing, amused. Mary Mitsuki frowned. _I guess... I don't know too much about this child..._

Liz felt her heart jerk. _Ugh... No way... Sumi knew them when she was little? What are the chances?_

Yoh had already figured it out when Sumi moved here, so he wasn't surprised when his mother put in the tape. _Figured she would find out one day..._

Keiko grinned happily. "Because I'm showing Sumi a younger version of herself." She pointed at the screen.

"Keiko..." Kyo Mitsuki stared at the screen. "I didn't know you still have these..." He glanced at Sumi, worried.

"Of course! I have to keep all these special moments of my little boys."

Sumi stared a little longer. _I... don't remember... this..._

_So it is her..._ Hao pursed his lips together. _And... I didn't realize... Though I suppose... she did... seem familiar..._

Keigo watched the commercial, his face grim. _This was the Sumi... that I met..._ He had remembered seeing her on billboards along with the Asakuras when he was younger. Back in the day... when he was in the streets...

Hao glanced at Yoh, who smiled at him knowingly. _It seems that Yoh already knew..._

"HAHAHA! Yoh and Hao look so dorky!" HoroHoro laughed.

Hao flushed and threw a pillow at his face. "..."

"What's with all this noise?" A voice came from the stairs and everyone turned.

"Mother." Mikihisa Asakura greeted and the rest of the parents bowed.

"I was showing Sumi how she use to look like." Keiko said happily.

"Uh Keiko..." Kyo Mitsuki started, holding a hand toward Keiko.

However, she didn't notice and pulled Sumi towards her mother-in-law. "Do you remember Sumi? Look at how much she's grown."

Sumi felt confused as she was suddenly dragged over. _Huh? Do I know her?_

"My my. You have grown. You're such a beautiful young woman now." The small old woman looked over Sumi, smiling at her.

Liz and Mary were baffled that the woman with so much authority was complimenting Sumi, out of all people.

Kino Asakura looked over to Kyo Mitsuki and smile. "My my, Kyo. I haven't seen you in a long while either."

Sumi's father bowed. "I'm sorry for not contacting you sooner. I was rather busy with business."

"It's alright. I understand." Her eyes flickered over to the woman standing beside Sumi's father. "And I believe that this is your wife."

Mary jumped when she was suddenly caught in the spotlight. She quickly bowed with a smile. "My name is Mary. Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Asakura."

"Ah. Pleasure." The old woman replied and looked her over.

Mary felt intimidated by this little old lady. She could see how everyone was under her power.

"So is it a boy or girl?" The little woman suddenly asked.

Mary and Kyo were startled. "Huh? Um..." Mary stuttered. "I-It's a boy."

Sumi and Liz looked at each other then to their parents. _What?_

Mary was kind of thrown off that she knew. "How... do you know?"

Kino smirked. "I know a lot of things." She said simply. "Take care of yourself better. The baby wouldn't want his mother to be stressed."

The little old lady approached Kyo and took his hand. "Kyo. I have an offer to make."

"What is it Kino?" Kyo asked as he looked down at the old lady, smiling up at him.

"Since my grandson, Hao is already engaged, I would like to offer an engagement for my other grandson, Yoh, to your daughter, Sumi."

_WHAT?_ This same through all the kids mind the moment that it was said.

Sumi had turned her head to her father urgently. Both Hao and Yoh jumped up shouting, "Grandma!"

Mary was astonished at the offer that the lady made. _Wow... I really don't understand..._

"Um Kino..."

"Now, boys. We are discussing this. Don't get involved." Their grandmother stated firmly and continued. "Hao is engaged to Anna Kyoyama, therefore I believe that your daughter would also be a wonderful addition to the family."

Sumi groaned inwardly. _I sound like an object..._

Kyo Mitsuki gave a quick glance to his daughter, who was standing a few feet away and smiled at Kino Asakura. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry Kino, but I believe that my daughter wouldn't agree to this. I would have to kindly reject this offer."

Sumi and Yoh let out a sigh in relief. _Thank you Dad..._

Kino smiled in delight. "Now, I would like to insist even more because you had rejected the offer."

Sumi could feel her mouth drop open in surprise and see her father look stunned as well.

"It is because you rejected the offer that I know that you aren't after the Asakura's inheritance that makes her acceptable."

"W-wait Kino. I still don't think it's a good idea." Kyo Mitsuki managed to say.

"Why? Come with me. Let's go sign a contract." Kino suggested and began to drag him towards the stairs.

_Wow... What a powerful little old lady..._ Anna thought. _I wonder if that's what she did to my parents?_

_Aw man... I don't want to be in the same position as Anna..._ Sumi thought and quickly ran in front of them before they reached the stairs and bowed. "I'm sorry Mrs. Asakura, but I am against this."

"What?" Kino gazed at her. "You have no say in this." She was about to brush past her with her father, but Sumi grabbed her arm.

"Please. I would like my future to be determined by me only." Sumi bowed once again.

Her father also nodded. "Kino, I would also like to let my children choose what they would like to do."

Kino sighed and smiled. "I can't convince you otherwise?"

Kyo Mitsuki shook his head along with Sumi. Kino only grinned. "Now I am sure you would be a great part in this family. Confident and beautiful, nor greedy. Just like Anna."

Sumi sweatdropped and Anna looked surprised. _Is that why she wants me to marry Hao?_

Kino released Sumi's father from her strong grip. "It's a shame that you won't be willing to sign the contract, but I guess I don't have a choice..." She looked over to Anna and smile broadly. "At least Anna will be joining our family."

Anna glared at her father. "Now why couldn't you do that?"

Her father chuckled. "It wasn't me. It was your mother that had to face her. What do you think happened?"

Anna sighed. After watching that scene, she could only imagine how the little old lady had pressured her mother without her there. After all, she had to be kidnapped just to talk to her.

Liz was now glaring at Hao. _Engaged to Anna?_ "And why didn't you tell me?"

Hao shifted his gaze away from his grandmother and Sumi. He sighed and shrugged. "It would cause too much trouble."

"Are you just playing with me then?" Liz asked angrily.

Hao frowned. "No. Me and Anna are trying to break this marriage contract thing. But you see my grandmother. We haven't figured it out yet."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to be engaged to Yoh? He's a charming young boy." Kino asked once again to Sumi.

"I know... but no..." Sumi shook her head.

"And even if she did. I would oppose." A voice came strong and Kino Asakura turned to see a boy standing up.

Keigo had his arms crossed and was staring intently at them. "Arrange marriages are a bit old fashioned, don't you think?"

"And who are you to interfere?" Kino asked, amused by this boy.

Keigo walked up to the grandmother and bowed. "I know what I want and I don't want her to be with Yoh, or Hao, or anyone else of that matter. But it is only my opinion to you."

His uncle came up and put a hand on Keigo's shoulder, indicating for him to stop interfering. Kino was entertained by this and peeked over to Hao. _Hm... Hao eh?_

"Bold." Kino said. "But reckless I see. You do remind me of someone." She smiled at Hao, then turned towards the stairs. "Okay, you youngsters continue having your fun. I'll discuss this another time."

_Another time? _Sumi's head cried out exasperated, but relieved that it was dropped. _But... I never knew I was associated with the Asakuras... What is this past that I don't remember... Should I even look? _She raked her memories. _Father said that I blocked out the ones that I didn't want to remember after... Mom died... so I shouldn't look back in case it hurts me... But... was it that bad?... I don't even remember how Mom died..._

Sumi turned to look at her father. "I'm going to have a baby brother?"

Her father looked embarassed. "Yes."

Sumi smiled. "Congratulations..." _I shouldn't ask yet..._

Hao winced as Liz continued glaring at him angrily, but looked at Yoh. "Wow Yoh, you almost got engaged to Sumi by Grandma."

"I know. Phew." Yoh let out a breath. "I'm glad she was there. Thank god."

"You're grandma is scary." HoroHoro shivered and looked at Pirika, who nodded in agreement.

"You guys haven't faced our family yet." Ren stated and Jun made a face.

Yoh laughed. "That's true huh?"

"I rather not." Lyserg said. "Judging by how you were before you met Yoh. It must be scary."

"Got that right." Ren said and noticed that Ryo had flinched, hearing Ren speak about family.

Hao also noticed and wondered where Ryo's family was. _I never asked..._ He remembered Ryo holding Ren's father's picture and it added to his suspicions. He knew Tamao wasn't close with hers because she was adopted, which was why hers hardly showed up, but they hadn't ask Ryo about his family yet. "Where's your family Ryo?"

Ryo looked surprised. "Uh... I live by myself... My family isn't here."

"Oh." Yoh said.

Hao stared at Yoh._ Maybe Yoh knows... He seems to pick up on a lot of things..._

-----------

"So what happened backstage Sumi?" Anna asked, leaning onto her window. Her father was back at the hospital after their day at the Asakuras.

"Oh." She smiled. "Not much. After I performed, I just went to the back to get some water. Next thing you know, Keigo runs in there looking all disheveled and everything. I guess I was a bit surprised, but before he could say anything, Hao runs in. They just look at each other and then Bam! There was an earthquake."

"Oh." Anna pondered. "Today was rather eventful wasn't it?"

"Yeah... Aren't you glad that you didn't have to perform? I wish I didn't have to do it alone."

"Yeah I am. I was suppose to sing. You did great though."

"Thanks. I think it would've been nice to hear you sing. I'm sure you'll blow everyone away, especially from what I heard from Yoh." Sumi winked.

"Hm..." Anna rested her chin onto the sill. "Now if I could somehow break the contract of marriage like you did. I'll be even happier."

"Hm... Maybe..." She pointed at the sky. "You should tell his grandma that you love someone already."

"Hah. Easy for you to say." _I can't say I love someone so easily..._ Anna sighed.

"That's true... It's easier said than done..." Sumi suddenly grinned. "Unless you say that you like Yoh."

"Sumi!" She reached for a small piece of eraser and threw it at her. "Do you want to die?"

"Ack!" She giggled though as she blocked the eraser. "Otherwise... why would you agree to Yoh that you're going to the dance with him?"

"..." _I'm going to kill Yoh for blabbing his mouth..._ Anna glared.

--------------

Hao stared at Yoh. "So I always wondered, how did you get Anna to agree with you to go to the dance with you last time?" He took a bite out of an apple. "She doesn't seem like the type that would go to one."

Yoh laughed. "Well... It's actually pretty simple. Knowing how Anna is, she's stubborn and always determined to win. So I made a bet with her."

"A bet?" Hao asked with his mouth full, raising an eyebrow. Now his brother really was something. "What kind of bet?"

"I guess it was kind of an impulse thing. It was during gym and I said I could outrun her, while she said I couldn't, so we made a bet. If one of us loses, the winner can ask the loser to do something. So, I beat her." He chuckled. "I thought about it that night and then asked her the following morning."

"HAHA. Sneaky Yoh. Wow." Hao was surprised. He didn't know his brother would be brave enough to actually ask Anna to go to the dance with him.

He scratched his head. "I didn't really force her to though. I told her that she didn't have to if she didn't want to, but she just said that she'll go, saying how she won't cheat the rules we made."

_Hm... Maybe things are progressing pretty well for Yoh... She wouldn't still agree if she had an option. That must mean something._ Hao grinned. "Next thing you know, she'll be falling head over heels for you." Hao put a hand on his chin. "Though no surprise though, we do have a gorgeous face."

Yoh rolled his eyes and chuckled. _Still the same old Hao..._

"Now my problem is... Liz being upset." Hao said, jumping onto the bed. "Which was why I didn't want Grandma to talk about that stuff."

Yoh looked at Hao, hesitating. "I'm sure she'll understand, but... Hao, do you like Liz?"

He stared back. "Of course, though I'm not sure Grandma would approve of her..."

Yoh sighed. "Alright... if you say so." _Your actions are different... Why did you run backstage then?_ Yoh decided not to ask, knowing how Hao would cover it up. It'll probably take time for Hao to understand himself. _Oh well... Take your time..._

---------------------------

Don't find love, let love find you. That's why it's called falling in love, because you don't force yourself to fall, you just fall.

=P A pretty cool quote...

I've had my share of love, but I've always been the retarded one. Haha. Still single. I guess I'm just a noob at this stuff, no matter how many times it may happen to me. Anyways I suppose I'm not writing as much anymore because I guess people never expected me to be involved with this stuff, not that they know. I'm surprised I do this too I guess. Haha double life status. Time to go fix up my life, but I'll do this when I find time.


	17. Chapter 17

.: So This is How it is:.

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On the side note: Thanks guys for the reviews! =P

Um, Rito Yagami eh? I'm sorry but I haven't watched the Death Note series. But I've heard about it, though I didn't know the main character's name was Raito Yagami. Wow that's pretty cool though. I just happened to throw together some random names together and whala! lolz.

As for everything else, thank you for your patience. Now...

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"So this is how it is class." Ms. Hamasuki said as she stood before the class, holding a piece of paper. "It seems that the auditorium will be under contruction, so sadly we won't get to continue this performance. However, we will get to do the play at the end of the year, so you won't get away with that one."

Groans were heard throughout the classroom and Anna was one of them. She let her head rest against her desk.

"Now, now. It's not that bad. It's rather amusing to see and be a part of. We'll talk about it later though. For now, I would like to make a brief announcement about the Winter Break trip coming up..."

Anna tuned out of the teacher's yapping about some event that she didn't even care about. She wasn't planning on going anyways. She closed her eyes, thinking. Her parents in the hospital. Her arranged marriage. The Ikuto guy. Damn, this was frustrating her.

Someone poked her arm. "Psst."

Anna chose to ignore it and just shut her eyes tighter. And to top it off, every second that she was alone, she found herself on death row with those fan girls of those ignorant guys.

"Psst. Anna."

A few more seconds past. "Psst. Psst. Ms. Anna Kyoyama..."

She lifted her head and turned back towards Yoh. "What?!?" And she was facing that torture, just because _they_ won't leave her alone.

"You are going too right Anna?" Her eyes met his childish smile.

She growled and placed her head back onto the desk. "Hell no."

"Why not?" His voice sounded confused. "It would be fun."

"As if I would waste my break rolling in some snow and falling on my butt and call it fun." Anna grumbled, then added quietly. "Plus... my father is in the hospital. I should be watching him."

"Don't tell me you suck at snowboarding Anna." Ren stated, not hearing what she had quietly added.

Anna sat up and raised an eyebrow at Ren, who was smirking at her with a challenging look. "I don't suck. I bet I can do better than you ever can in your whole life."

Yoh grinned. "Does that mean you're going?" An idea springing into his head.

"Hell no. I don't need to prove myself to be better." Anna said firmly.

Ren chuckled. "Suree... You're just scared." He taunted.

"Scared?" She scoffed. "As if. Don't act so cocky. You guys aren't perfect. **AND** I'm not saying I'm challenging you."

Ren had furrowed his brow, but nonetheless was still amused by Anna. He decided to ignore her insult. "Of course we aren't, we're working on it though." He stated smugly. "As for who's the best in snowboarding, out of all of us, HoroHoro is the most skilled. If you want to challenge someone, challenge HoroHoro."

"Yeah Anna. you should consider going. I think it'll be great!" Yoh rested his cheek onto his hand, smiling lazily at her.

Anna pulled out her notebook and a pen. She stared at the teacher, who began lecturing. Deciding to make the subject drop, she said flatly. "I'll consider it." Even with everything going on, she was not going to let her grades drop. Saying that she was consider it didn't mean that she was going, it just meant that she might think about it.

However, Yoh seemed satisfied with her answer and just leaned back into his chair as he closed his eyes. He knew she was worried about her father, but that shouldn't be a reason not to enjoy what she had left of high school. A mysterious smile played on Yoh's lips as he decided to make sure that Anna attends this winter trip.

Ren just shrugged as he watched Anna suddenly become engrossed in taking notes and Yoh becoming his usual lazy self again. Ren sighed inwardly, his eyes glanced towards the front to see Yuna quicky look away as she was caught peeking a look at him. Yuna was still up to something and he couldn't figure it out. Deciding not to let it bother him, he opened his book.

---------------------------------------------

Pirika dropped down beside Tamao for their English class. She looked at her best friend and spotted a pink look covering Tamao's expression. Concern washed over her and she looked at her pink-haired friend with a questionable look. "Is everything okay Tam?"

Her friend snapped up with a smile covering her face. "Ah, Pirika!" She scratched her head. "Everything is alright."

"Are you sure?" Pirika asked slowly. A million possibilities ran through her mind on what could be bothering her friend.

"Yeah." Tamao continued smiling as she pulled out her book. Her face turned to surprised when she realized she couldn't open her book. Quickly deciding not to let Pirika know, she tried to shove her book back into her backpack, but Pirika had already noticed her change in expression.

The blue-haired girl grabbed the book from her friend and looked at it. She tried to open the book, but found all the pages stuck together. Annoyance spiked in her emotion, but she masked it over by staring with concern at her friend, who was looking at her desk. "Tam-"

Tamao interrupted with a slight smile on her face. "Ah, I forgot I accidently spilt something on my book and all the pages stuck together."

Pirika furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't lie to me Tamao. They're doing this to you huh?"

Her facial features relaxed to a more apologetic sad look. "Sorry Pirika. I didn't want to worry you." She looked at her hands on her lap. She honestly didn't, but her acting skills failed her. She couldn't hide her emotions as well as some people, some people like Anna.

Pirika felt her blood began to boil. Those girls frighten her, that was true, but they were so...so... unreasonable. Suddenly she wondered why they haven't done anything to her. Pirika thought back, now that she analyzed it more, she realized most of the times when they were being pressured to do something, they aimed more towards Tamao. She was there to protect her, but somehow in fear of the fangirls of hurting Tamao, she had placed herself in Tamao's position for them, making her vunerable to their attacks. Pirika made a face. Now that they were out of their circle, Pirika decided to do things a different way. No more being scared of stupid fangirls.

Tamao looked at Pirika's burning eyes and sighed. What did she expect to happen? She had been on their target list ever since the day Yoh helped her. She leaned onto her desk, thinking. Why was she so weak? Why did she always constantly need to be helped? Even today....

In the period before, she had Biology. After class had finished without warning, one of the fangirls had kicked out their leg as she walked past hastily. Her books had flew out of her hands and she had dropped to the floor landing hard with the side of the hip throbbing painfully. Laughter was heard all around as she struggled to get her eyes to focus and comprehend what had just happened. Embarassment covered her face and her tears threatened to fall as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Oh my! Did the little girl fall down?" A voice teased and more laughter was heard.

_Don't cry Tamao. Don't cry._ Tamao told herself. _They'll just find it more hilarious if you burst into tears right now._

"Aw! Want me to wipe your tears for you?" Another voice mocked.

"And I thought _**I **_was immature. Looks like all of you guys outrank me in that category."

Tamao heard a cold voice and looked up surprised to see HoroHoro coming to her defense. However, she was more surprised at his sudden coldness. Never had she heard his voice give shivers amongst his classmates. He was usually joking and goofy, wearing a never faltering smile. But here he was, serious and annoyed.

"Cut it out." HoroHoro glared at the girl and she frozed up.

Tamao became self conscious and reddened in embarassment, especially since she was on the ground in front of HoroHoro. Quickly pushing herself up, she darted out of the room.

HoroHoro looked after her and the things on the ground. Giving the girl an intensifying look, he said one last thing. "And _especially_ leave my sister alone. If I ever hear that you guys did anything to her, I'll murder you myself. I hope you do realize that she is able to destroy you in a snap if she wanted to with the power we hold. She just doesn't realize it." HoroHoro turned and grabbed Tamao's things off the ground, walking out the door with his classmates paling at his reaction towards them.

Tamao let her head rest against her locker and closed her eyes. _Great... my things..._ In her flight of panic, she didn't think. _I'm so smart._ She thought sarcastically and turned to see HoroHoro standing there holding out her things to her.

"A-ah... U-um." She stuttered, intimidated by his sudden cold atmosphere.

He blinked and his facial features relaxed, lifting the cold presence that he had on. "Ay Tamao. Just take your stuff. I don't want to hold it all day you know."

"O-oh! Right. Thank you." She nervously took her bag and books from him, then hesitantly asked. "Are you okay HoroHoro?"

He was now wearing a confused look as he leaned against the lockers. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" HoroHoro wasn't going to tell her that he was in a dark mood this morning because of Jeanne. He was going to approach Jeanne at the parking lot, but she had noticed Lyserg first and called out to him before he could call out to her. He had then watched her walk up to Lyserg and chatted normally as they entered the school. Pain had stabbed at his chest as he watched the girl that he liked and one of his good friends going together. The first thought that ran through his mind was 'Why did I have to fall for her out of everyone else?'

"Because you seemed... not yourself." Tamao answered, blushing.

HoroHoro sighed. And watching someone get picked on early in the morning made him even more pissed off. "Don't worry about it Tam. Defend yourself for goodness sake." He lifted his hand to wave. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Thanks again." Tamao said as he left and hugged her books to her as she blushed. He had called her 'Tam.' And here she was, starting to notice her best friend's older brother. _Great... Why now after all these years?_

Her conscious snapped back to English class as Pirika pulled out her book and placed it between them. "Here, we can share my book for now. I'm going to figure out how to make those idiotic girls pay for all the damage they've done to you. And make sure they leave you alone."

Tamao smiled. _Thanks Pirika for always being there for me._

-------------------

Sumi wandered through the halls of the school, looking around after heading to the main office to drop off some papers. Ever since she attended the school, she never had finished exploring it. Glancing around at the exquiste atmosphere, she figured out that she would never be able to get use to it by the time she graduates. The marble floors, the beautifully decorated walls hanging with art masterpieces, awards, and pictures, the cushioned chairs and magnificantly carved desks, the grand staircase, and even the music room was extraordinary. She smiled at her surroundings. She was always in awe with the place. The school still didn't cease to amaze her even when she was outside. The scenery, the pond, the fountain, everything just looks like an art painting.

She passed a picture and then stopped. Backtracking a few steps, she stopped and stared at it. It was a picture of the Asakuras' grandmother standing beside to a little old man that she believed was their grandfather. She was holding an award beside the school principal. Underneath the picture read _Asakura High School Academy_. Sumi never paid any attention to the name of the school that they attended except for the first time when she asked where she would be attending. _I guess they weren't lying when they said they control the school. No wonder everyone is at their every command._

"You know when I first started teaching, everyone asked where I would be teaching."

Sumi turned to see Mr. Yuu, her history teacher standing there. He was also staring at the picture on the wall. Her gaze returned to the picture.

"When I told them Asakura High, everyone was awed. As for me though, I had never even heard of this school, so I didn't know what to expect." Mr. Yuu gave a small snicker. "Everyone I knew was like 'Tooya, you are so lucky to be selected to teach there. Not many people gets the opportunity to even enter the school.' And I thought, 'Oh man, what kind of school is this.' And when I came here..."

He turned to look at Sumi with a grin. "I was hit with this atmosphere and all these pampered students. I wasn't sure how to react to it. Hell, I didn't know how to teach them. Later did I realize, that they are all sons and daughters of all the big shots that make the world go round. I learned that I have to oblige to what they want or my career would go down the drain. Sure, I have some rights as a teacher and can order them around, but as for some of them they have the choice to not listen to me."

Sumi smiled at him. "It's alright right? Not all the students are like that."

Mr. Yuu just put his hands to his head. "That's true. And for those students are the reason that I endure. But it took me awhile to become use to it." He looked down at her. "How are you adjusting to it so far?"

"It's adaptable. There are the goods and bad." Sumi stated, amused that her teacher was talking to her so casually outside of class.

"Shouldn't you be getting lunch instead of standing out here?" Mr. Yuu pointed out.

"Yeah. I just had to turn in some papers." Sumi responded. "I guess I should get food before I don't have time." She turned towards the hallway. "Don't worry, things will get better." She assured and waved. "See you later Mr. Yuu."

He waved back and watched her decend down the hallway. _If I was a student here, who knows if I would be able to handle it... but I probably would be able to endure it... Perhaps..._

-------------------------------

Jeanne swiped her ID card across the laser sensor and the door open, walking into the cafeteria beside Lyserg and Ryo. HoroHoro had said he had some things to attend to and won't be joining them for lunch. Sumi had to turn in some paperwork to the main office and would be joining them later. Somehow after the talk with Lyserg and convincing herself to only see him as a friend, it was much easier to act and be around him. As for dealing with the fangirls, she decided that she no longer cared anymore. Having Lyserg as a friend was well worth it.

They stood in line and gathered their food then headed to the table, joining the others who were already there. Hao and Liz were sitting beside each other, already eating. Pirika and Tamao were sitting across from Yoh and Anna, who were all watching Chocolove get yelled at by Ren because he self-invited himself to their table.

"Where are Sumi and HoroHoro?" Yoh asked once everyone settled down.

Lyserg answered as he popped a carrot into his mouth. "HoroHoro said he won't be joining us today and Sumi will be late."

"Hey Anna! Are you going to go to the Winter break trip?" Jeanne asked merrily as she scooped a spoonful of lasagna.

Anna sipped on her juice, slowly. Everyone was just watching her. What was the big deal about her going or not? It would be the same without her. Plus she noted to herself, that Jeanne was back to her old self, which was good. She wondered what happened, but decided not to pry. "I would not like to go... but due to these fellas here," She glanced at Yoh and Ren. "I'm considering it."

Jeanne smiled brightly. "Let's go Anna! It'll be fun! I actually can't wait."

"Oh, the snowboarding trip!" Pirika's eyes sparked up with excitement. "I'm definitely going to that."

"Yes! Snowball fights! Snow Angels! And non-stop storytelling nights!" Chocolove cheered.

Ren smacked his face with hand. "Why are you still here?"

"Ow!" Chocolove grabbed his nose. "Because I haven't demonstrated enough of my undenying love for Anna."

Ren made a face. "There's no need for that. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to see it."

"Psh! That's what you think, but what about Anna huh? I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind, right Anna?" Chocolove batted his eyes towards Anna.

However, Anna was ignoring him and just continued eating. She looked up and spotted Sumi walking in.

"Shut up you monkey. Leave her alone." Ren said and took a bite.

"Actually I would compare myself to a jaguar, thank you very much. While you Ren, would be a..." Chocolove put a finger on his chin, pondering.

"A cow..." Hao noted with a smirk. "Cause of all the milk he drinks."

Ren glared. "No, I happen to disagree with that. And cows don't drink milk Hao!" He lifted his chin proudly, puffing out his chest. "I would be more of a dragon."

"That's a mythological creature Ren! That's not fair! Those don't exist!" Chocolove cried out.

"It doesn't matter! If I say I'm a dragon then that's what I am." Ren insisted.

"Yeah. And I'm bigfoot." Hao snickered while he gobbled up more food.

Pirika clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "I would like to be a mermaid then!" Turning to her pink-haired friend, she asked. "What would you like to be Tamao?"

Blushing, she answered shyly. "I think I would like to be a firefly."

"That's cute Tam." Yoh popped a slice of orange into his mouth. "I've never heard of anyone say that."

"Um, T-thanks Yoh." Tamao blushed even redder and then finally blurted out a fast response. "W-what about you?"

Yoh pursed his lips, looking at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression. A few seconds passed while everyone waited. "An orange!" He cried out suddenly and held up the orange in his hand into the air like a prized possession.

"What!?! That's a fruit!" Chocolove exclaimed, looking bewildered. "You can't be a fruit! That's not even an animal!"

Yoh took a bite from it. "Why not?" He asked innocently as he started chewing.

"BECAUSE!" Chocolove stared at him outrageously, hoping he would understand. "It's a fruit! Why would you want to be a fruit?!?"

Hao chuckled. "Yeah... Yoh would start eating himself to death."

"No, I wouldn't!" Yoh objected, frowning at his brother, with a piece of orange hanging out of his mouth. "They don't have mouths!"

Anna just rolled her eyes at how the conversation swayed and led to some pointless argument. Picking at her food, she pondered. _What would I want to be?_ She immediately smacked herself for suddenly starting to fall onto their level of communication. She focused back onto their strange argument.

"Let's see. If Yoh's an orange, Ren's a cow, Chocolove's a monkey, Lyserg's a worm, then HoroHoro would be a pig, wouldn't he?" Hao said snickering as everyone began responding to him. "We're one big _happy_ family."

"I said I was a dragon." Ren stated firmly.

"I'm not a monkey! No!" Chocolove shouted. "Jaguar! Jaguar!"

Lyserg sweatdropped and asked warily. "Why am I a worm?"

"I know why!" Chocolove jumped up and down with a wide grin. "Cause you're a bookworm! Get it? Get it?" Chocolove happily noted as Lyserg exhaled to keep himself calm.

"HoroHoro's a pig? Who are the wolves then?" Yoh asked.

Pirika and Tamao pointed to the other end of the dining hall. And surprisingly, so were Jeanne and Liz. Hao followed their fingers and looked. His eyes landed on Keigo and the twins entering from the other door. He turned back around with a scoff.

"Three big wolves and a pig? Haha! What happened to the three little pigs and the big bad wolf? Oh! Oh! I've got a joke!" Chocolove barely said anything when he was stopped by the bread in his mouth.

"Cut it out. I have an important question to ask." Ren said, putting his hand on the table. "What would you be then Hao?"

_That's an important question? _Anna's ear twitched as everyone stared at him anticipating his answer. Hao smirked and said slowly. "I would be a-"

"Star..." Anna turned her head to give him a smug look, emphasizing on the last word. "_Fish_."

A looked of unexpectedness covered his face as he reddened. He opened and closed his mouth, unable to find the right words to counterattack his sudden embarrassment as Anna smirked at him.

"Starfish?" Lyserg raised an amused eyebrow, seeing Hao embarrassed, which was rare because usually he was _so_ confident. "Why is that?"

Anna started off smugly. "Oh, that's probably cause when he was li-"

"Look! There's the sheep!" Hao exclaimed and pointed, relieved when everyone turned to look.

"Sheep? What sheep?" Chocolove asked, jumping around. "I don't see a sheep!"

_Tsk! You got away this time. Stupid comedian... _Anna turned away from them and spotted Sumi going through the line for food. _Hmm... Sheep is a good comparison though..._ Just before she reached the end of the line however, the 'wolves' swooped in.

Anna no longer minded that Keigo always seemed to appear around Sumi because she believed that he sincerely didn't want to hurt her, but as for the others...

She looked at the other guys at the table. Ren, Lyserg, and Hao seemed to tense up at the sight of him. Yoh being the laid back trusting dork that he was, showed no emotion and just watched. Though the place was bustling with noise, Keigo appearance always seemed to attracting attention lately. All eyes were on him. And you'd think that he would notice.

Anna watched Keigo sidestepped in front of Sumi and flashed her a grin. Sumi returned his smile, unaware of all the stares. _The unsuspecting sheep and the badass wolf. _Anna spotted Liz frown with jealousy at her boyfriend, who was obviously watching them. She returned her gaze to the girl and the three 'wolves.' _They're different... But they probably will fall for each other... with a bit of interference... just because everyone won't want them together._ Anna smirked at Yoh, who seemed to share the same thought. _But it seems... that it has already started..._

-------------------------------------

HoroHoro was walking to the gym for P.E. The bell had already rang and he was late. Oh well, he didn't care too much. It wasn't as if he was going to get in trouble. As he drew closer, someone suddenly walked out of the girl's locker room and bumped into him.

"Hey watch it." HoroHoro said, but stopped and stared at the girl. "Tamao, you're ditching class?"

The shy girl glanced at him, flushing a pink color. "Ah... no. I just got kicked out..."

"Huh?" HoroHoro wasn't comprehending. That was the least likely thing to happen. "Why?"

Her face turned redder. "Um... my gym clothes... smelled like skunk..."

"Cause you didn't wash it?" HoroHoro was still trying to follow the conversation.

Tamao tried to hide her face and spoke quietly. "No... I did... I just think... some people did something to it..."

He sighed wondering if the other guys know about the torture that the fangirls do to other girls. "So where are you going now?"

Tamao shrugged. "Probably outside and wait for my next class."

"Shall I keep you company?" HoroHoro suggested, shifting his backpack. He just didn't want to go to class.

Tamao's heart did a flip. "I-If you want..."

_This girl.... She should stop being so shy..._ HoroHoro nodded and just walked towards the door that led outside with Tamao following him.

--------------------------

"You know what Anna?"

"Hm?" Anna barely turned her head to know that it was Yoh speaking beside her. She was already use to him following her around more often nowadays. In the beginning, it annoyed her to see him so often, but now she didn't care. It wasn't as bad as she thought. At least it kept the fangirls away when he was there.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Yoh pulled out an orange and began peeling it.

"Hm?"

"Could you sing for me?"

Anna stopped and looked at him. "What?"

He was biting into his orange with a smile when he stopped as well. "Could you sing for me?"

"..." She stared at him, challenging him. "I heard what you said stupid." She began walking once again towards the parking lot.

"So..." Yoh looked at her with big eyes.

"Of course... not." Anna replied and kept her pace. "Why would I do that for? I would like to save myself some embarassment."

"But it sounded really nice when we practiced. I just want to hear you sing again..." Yoh scratched his head, starting on his second orange that he pulled out of nowhere.

"Haha. We'll see." Anna approached her car. "Anyways, I have to go see my father, so I'll catch you later alright?"

"Mmkay. Oh hold on Anna." Yoh grabbed her hand and put something into her hand.

Bewildered, she opened her palm to find a small cat plushie. "What is this?"

"A cat." Yoh grinned. "It reminded me of you because they are so independent and wild, yet... at the same time they can be gentle and affectionate."

"So I'm like a cat to you?" Anna stared at the plushie. It was rather cute.

"And this is me." He placed an orange in her hand.

"..." Anna's eyes showed utter confusion at Yoh's sense of logic. "You... are... an... orange?" Then she remembered the conversation during lunch and her eyes shrunk to dots.

"Yeah! Or maybe a ball of yarn would work better." Yoh smiled sheepishly. "Because... we can... play together."

"Uh..." Anna looked up to see Yoh staring at her with a bright smile. Now how can she not give in to that smiling face? Therefore she just managed a smile back at him. But she had to admit, his logic was a bit strange. Though at least he tried to make her worry less.

"So Anna, you can talk to the orange if ever you need to. For now, try to enjoy yourself. Don't stress too much." Yoh said and waved. "I'll see you later." He walked off leaving Anna holding the cat plushie and the orange.

She smiled and got into her car. _Now that was weird... but..._ She held up the cat plushie. _My first official gift from Yoh..._ She blushed. Honestly, she didn't know how to react to it. Her heart was thumping faster than she expected and it distracted her all the way to the hospital. _Thanks..._

----------------------------------

Yuki hummed as he stirred the pot of soup and added some black pepper. He took a sip, _Mm... good._ He turned around to grab a bowl and saw Sumi walk into the kitchen. "How are you doing Sumi?"

She smiled warmly at him. "I'm alright. How about you?" She took an apple from the basket and bit into it with a crunch.

The cook looked at her as he scooped some soup into a bowl for the expecting mother. "Rather well. Mrs. Mitsuki is rather calm at times when she knows she has a child coming." He placed it onto the counter for it to cool. "Would you like to try some of my soup as well?"

The girl before him nodded. "Yeah."

He got her and himself a bowl and sat at the counter with her. Hiro, the butler, suddenly walked in asking. "Yuki, is the soup ready?" He stared at them with a slight smile.

"Yeah." Yuki got up to grab the bowl and handed it to Hiro.

"Thanks." Hiro replied and Yuki went back to join Sumi as he left.

"This is good!" Sumi exclaimed and watched Yuki drink his own bowl. A blissful look was returned to her.

"I'm glad. That makes me more hopeful of my goal being closer to me." Yuki replied, watching the girl before him.

He had entered the household with nowhere to go. Luckily they were offering the job with free room and board, so it saved him a lot of time from finding his own place. After he graduated from culinary school, he found himself jobless. With his skills not good enough to be a professional, he wanted to practice, but he had no destination and no where to start. Deciding to look for a job first, he found the opening in an ad like Hitomi. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity so he had to try. Plus it seemed too good to be true. It was rather great living at the house. There were only a few rules that they had to obliged by, but it was pretty easy going, other than the family drama that goes on in the household.

"Goal of becoming the world's greatest cook?" Sumi asked.

"Yeah." He replied. "I hope that I can make it big one day so everyone can know my name."

"I'm sure you will. Right now, you're my world's greatest cook! Your dishes are wonderful! I'm sure even Liz agrees!" Sumi complimented.

Yuki bubbled at the praise. "That's because I'm the only cook that you know." He noticed Sumi never hesitates to bring up Liz's name, while Liz on the otherhand seems to avoid mentioning her as much as possible.

Sumi giggled. "That might be true, but I'm pretty confident that you're one of the greatest right now. You just haven't gotten out there." An idea sparked in her head. "How about you go try out for those cooking competitions or those cooking shows?"

Yuki leaned on the counter gazing at her. "I signed a contract with Mrs. Mitsuki saying that I'm staying here for a three year term. So I can't just leave if I do win. I'm just using this time to practice."

Sumi's expression went back to a thoughtful one. "Oh... hm..."

He nodded and just examined her features unconsciously. The girl before him wasn't a very flirtacious one, however the other daughter seemed to always find something to say and batting her eyelashes or smiling at him. Both of them were rather attractive though. He wondered how they were at school. He was pretty sure that if they attended the same school that he was at during his high school years, they would draw a crowd.

Just then, Hiro walked back in to see Yuki watching Sumi drink his soup. Yuki glanced up at Hiro and they shared a glance. Hiro had told him that he was beginning to feel like he had butterflies in his stomach when he was around Sumi. Yuki contained a smile. _Seriously... Who says they have butterflies... _

"Do you want to try some soup Hiro?" Sumi had turned around unexpectantly and looked at Hiro, who was now caught off guard.

"Ah... no thanks." He said hesitantly, glancing back at Yuki, who was smiling knowingly.

Yuki returned his eyes back to Sumi, who went back to drinking her soup. Too bad they weren't allowed to develop any sort of relationship with them other than the master-servant one. He wouldn't mind giving it a try.

-------------------------------------

Anna stared at the white surroundings around her. _I can't believe I'm here..._ She thought unenthusiatically. _Stupid Winter Break trip! Whoever came up with this idea should go rot._

Over the past week, everything pretty much fell back into its same routine. Sumi returned to climbing back into her window late at night from work. Yoh was still his dorky self. Jeanne seemed to be happy again. Chocolove was still constantly around them. Ryo was still as mysterious. Hao was still cocky as ever with his princess pink girlfriend. However, the princess seemed to noticed Hao's lack of attention on her especially when Sumi was around. And the bullying from the fan girls didn't disappear either. In fact, it seemed to grow. Sumi seemed to have become one target as well, however they seemed to be more vicious towards her. Perhaps they thought their original tatics didn't faze her since she always kept a smile on her face. But these girls were vicious enough to attack in public without getting caught.

_Anna was standing beside Sumi in the lunch line and once they got their food, they were heading towards the lunch table. However, in just a few steps, a rice ball suddenly flew and hit the side of Sumi's face, exploding rice all over her hair. Anna snapped her head towards the direction it came from, only to find herself covered in another rice ball. Anger erupted inside her and without thinking, she picked up what was on her plate and attacked back. Then, an all out food throwing war started. It was chaos. When it ended, no one had noticed who started it except for the lunch ladies that saw Anna react to it._

_Both herself and Sumi were found sitting in the main office later on and being lectured about how to behaved. Luckily they didn't get into trouble because of Hao and Yoh, but nonetheless they wasted an hour listening about how to have proper manners._

Anna sighed. The reason she was here in the white slush, was because Yoh had told her father and her father forced her to come despite her complaints. She clenched her fist in annoyance. _Damn that Yoh. Does he need to interfere?_

"Anna!" Yoh's voice called out and she whipped around to see a snowball flying at her.

Swiftly, she leaned to one side and evaded the flying white mass. It zipped past her ear and hit HoroHoro on the back of his head.

"Ren threw that!" Yoh cried out, raising his hands in the air.

HoroHoro turned around, his eyes burning. "Oh, you just hit the wrong person!" Within a second, he scooped up snow and began his ammo firing.

Anna smirked, picking up snow as well. _Time for payback Yoh. I'm going to make you feel pain for making me come._ And thus the snowball war began.

-------------------------

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was, and always will be yours. If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with.

-----------------------

God... Just so you know... Real fights are hellla scary. Like fist fights with guys trying to stop them. Ppl get hurt. It's intense. So becareful everyone and stay away from those kind of things. I realized how powerless a girl is in those situations no matter how much you try to help. Not saying that everyone is going to face this type of situation, but just becareful. I like danger, but at the same time I know I can't handle myself so I best be staying away from everything. UGH!

Sorry I never posted this even though I wrote it awhile back.


	18. Chapter 18

.: So This is How it is:.

---

Sorry if this chapter sucks! =\

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"Settle down students!" Tooya Yuu yelled out during their massive snowball war. "We need to assign you your rooms and get your things inside! Hey! Listen up!"

The students ignored him and he sighed as he watched the students become covered in the white icy material.

"If you guys don't gather up now, you'll all have to sleep outside! And the faster you do this, the faster you'll be able to play!" Hikari Hamasuki called out and smiled reassuringly at Tooya Yuu, who returned it slightly with a sigh.

The students now stopped and quickly dashed over, crowding around to find out their rooms.

---------

Yuna walked into her room to find Sumi standing by the window. Sumi turned around when she heard the door open and gave her a warm smile as she entered.

"Hi Yuna." Sumi greeted.

Yuna smiled in response, unable to stop herself. "Hi." She threw herself onto one of the bed and let herself relax for a second, then she pushed herself to a sitting position, looking at Sumi, who was sitting on her bed and looking outside in awe. "I'm not going to lose to you. I'm going to make Keigo notice me."

Sumi just turned back to face her and grinned. "Oh... Okay." She then asked. "Don't you like Ren though?"

Yuna faltered for a second, hearing Ren's name. "Nope, I don't. I find Keigo more... attractive."

Sumi smiled, catching her reaction and hesitation. "Mmm hmm." There was a pause. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Yuna answered snappishly, laying back onto her bed.

"Can you tell me about Ikuto?"

Yuna's eyes flew to Sumi, who was now staring at her with a serious expression, waiting for her answer. She scoffed. _Who does this girl think she is?_ "As if. Why do you want to know?"

Sumi exhaled and also laid back onto her bed. A small chuckle was let out. "You know, you're much more confident and brave when you're not around him."

She didn't expected that to be her response and just simply glared at the other girl for speaking so carelessly. _She has no idea what he's capable of._

"I like it when you're not around him." Sumi sat up to face her glare. "You seem more yourself."

The girl humphed, annoyed at her. "It's time for the lounge meeting." Yuna said, standing up off her bed. She sighed inwardly. _She's pretty accurate in her guessing though... I don't like Keigo. It's just that Ikuto wants me close to him. Not only that... he wants me close to Sumi too..._

"We have a week here, so can't you just enjoy yourself since Ikuto isn't here?" Sumi said behind her as she followed her to the door. "You can hang out with all of us."

_Even so... I know there are others around... watching... But... He wants me close to Sumi anyways... _Yuna gave her a glance. "Perhaps... You don't mind me being around you guys then?"

"Of course not!" Sumi's face lit up and she followed Yuna down the hall in a bright mood.

---------------------------

Ren growled, clearly pissed off as he sat in the lounge. He spotted Yuna and Sumi entering the room, passing Keigo, who was standing by the doorway. Yuna threw her arms around Keigo's neck when she spotted him and Sumi laughed at Keigo's expression as he tried to wiggle out of her grasp. The vein on Ren's forehead twitched, seeing Yuna act like that. It just seemed so fake when she was putting herself out there like that. He rubbed his temple. _Don't think about her..._ But he guessed that Sumi and Yuna were rooming together because he saw them walk in together. He sighed, looking at his roomate. _Why me?_ Out of everyone else, he just had to get the one and only...

"So there were three little old ladies sitting on a bench at a park one day-" Chocolove began, speaking to some girls that were listening intently.

Ren brought his arm to Chocolove's face, irritated. "Cut it out."

Chocolove held his pained mouth with wide eyes that his joke was interrupted. "But Ren!"

Ren just ignored him and pushed his head down. "Please, be quiet." He said in a dangerously low voice.

He put a hand to his head. Yoh and Hao were rooming together, Lyserg and HoroHoro, Ryo and Keigo, the other two twins, Takuya and Toshiro. Everyone's rooming situation didn't seem as bad as his. _Why did he had to suffer?_

Anna now walked in with Jeanne. _Even the girls have tolerable roommates._ He figured Pirika and Tamao would most likely get to room together. And Liz was rooming with Kanna, from the Hanagumi. She seemed to be getting along with the Hanagumi pretty well recently.

"Five minutes of your time and you guys can go do what you want." Mr. Yuu stated and nodded at Ms. Hamasuki.

"There are some saftety regulations that I need to go through, so you know..." The young teacher said and began reading off rules to follow. After a few minutes, she added one more thing. "And stay close to the resort guys. You can get lost in these forests here. Make sure someone knows where you are at all times. So stay safe and have fun!"

The students cheered and began scrambling off towards their desired direction. "Let's go boarding guys!" HoroHoro jumped up and cried out excitedly.

Pirika also had jumped up happily. "Yes! Let's go!"

"Of course the Usui's would be pumped at that cause they're so pro." Hao haughtily noted as his arm hung around Liz's shoulder. "But we all aren't half bad either." He said, looking at Yoh, Ren, and Lyserg.

HoroHoro smirked. "Let's go then."

"Whoo! I'm gonna pwn all of you down the hill!" Ren said pumped, excited to get away from Chocolove.

Pirika just rolled her eyes at him. "Sureee... I doubt that..."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Ren lifted his eyebrow questionably at her.

Pirika gave him a challenging look. "I can match up to your level too, in case you forgot."

"Is that a challenge?" Ren asked amused, eyes flashing.

"Haha. You bet." Pirika said smugly.

Hao grinned. "Now I see how you guys are related." Looking at HoroHoro and Pirika.

Pirika blushed and just turned towards the exit, with the rest of them following her.

"Be careful guys!" Mr. Yuu called out after them and watched them disappear. _Kids these days..._

---------------------------------

Tamao stood up wobbly on her board, trying to maintain her balance. However, within the next two seconds she found herself flat on her butt. She looked over to her best friend to find her glaring at Ren with a heated expression. "Piri-" She started, but they didn't hesitate to wait for anyone else as they started zooming down the mountain fast. Tamao sighed.

"Need help there?"

Tamao looked up to see HoroHoro looking down at her. She blushed. "Uh go ahead, I think I'm just going to sit here and wait for Pirika."

HoroHoro just held a hand down to her. "When my sister gets into a competition, she goes all out, so who knows when she'll stop. Might as well let me help you in the time being."

She felt like she could melt the snow around her at that moment as she took his hand to stand up. "Uh, I can't snowboard."

"It's alright. You got to start somewhere." HoroHoro said. "I'll teach you until you can take care of yourself."

"Thanks." Tamao said and looked around. Hao was standing beside Liz, helping her stablize herself. Anna was a bit further down with Yoh, but she had fell down and she could tell that Anna was frustrated. Keigo, the twins, and Yuna had just got off the ski lift. Ryo and Chocolove were standing together watching everyone struggle to get up. Just then, Sumi boarded in front of everyone, slowly drifting back and forth. "Come on guys. Let's go."

A snowball suddenly hit her and she toppled over. "Hey!" She cried out and sat up to see Lyserg laughing at her.

Tamao had seen Lyserg pick up snow and throw it towards her direction. Standing beside him, was Jeanne wearing a faint sad smile, but it wasn't too noticible. Sumi attempted to throw one back at him, but it didn't reach and thus Lyserg kept laughing.

Keigo carved in front of Sumi and stopped in front of her, grinning down at her. "Some help?" He reached down to take her arm and pulled Sumi off the floor.

Liz spotted Hao's grin disappear and saw his jaw tightened. She rolled her eyes. _Stupid Hao... Don't pay attention to them..._

Keigo had his hand on her shoulder. "Stay safe with them. I'm going to make a few rounds." He smiled at her once again and went off following the twins.

Sumi felt an unfamiliar feeling of blissfulness at his words. _Strange... I feel happy..._

Lyserg saw Sumi smile after Keigo and felt his disappear. _Hm..._

Ren and Pirika then zoomed past them with Pirika shouting. "3 out of 5!"

HoroHoro shook his head and resumed trying to teach Tamao how to stand and brake. _Gosh Pirika... You're too competitive... Not saying that I'm not..._

_--------_

A couple hours past and everyone was back at the resort eating dinner. The dining hall was filling with excited chatters and clanging of plates and cups.

"Ah! Today was fun!" Jeanne cried out happily. "Did you get use to boarding Anna?"

A gleam sparkled in Anna's eyes. "I mastered it."

Yoh could only laugh in response to what she said.

"I demand a rematch!" Pirika had shouted, obviously not happy with today's result of hers and Ren's competition.

Ren gave her a smug look as he waved his fork. "Just admit that you suck."

"No! You won by luck! I had interference!" Pirika said with her arms crossed.

"Yeah... _Everytime_ we went down the hill. I did too, but you _are_ suppose to avoid them." Ren pointed out. "It's not a race track."

Pirika pouted and shook her head. "We are having a rematch tomorrow. This time. I. Won't. Lose." She said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah sure." Ren scooped a handful of rice into his mouth. It was a rather good work out and he'd enjoyed it. Plus he didn't hear any of Chocolove's annoying jokes.

"Thanks HoroHoro for helping me today." Tamao said shyly.

He smiled and nodded at her. "Of course. No problem."

Pirika quickly turned to her friend, realizing that she had forgotten. "Oh Tamao! I'm sorry! I forgot that you didn't know how to snowboard. I got too caught up! Sorry!"

"Yeah, how inconsiderate." Ren added and Pirika gave him a look of death, but he simply ignored it.

"Its okay. HoroHoro helped me, so I can actually snowboard now." She said brightly. "So tomorrow, I'm going to try it myself."

Pirika brightened. "See isn't snowboarding fun?"

Tamao nodded in agreement, giggling.

-----------------

HoroHoro was outside sitting on the bench touching the snow in his hands, when Sumi passed by a window and spotted his blue hair. _HoroHoro? What's he doing outside?_ Curious, she decided to head out there.

"Boo." She said, leaning on the back of the bench.

He looked back at her and she gave him a curious look. "Doing okay?"

HoroHoro turned back to look at the melted snow in his hand. "Yeah of course."

"Hmm..." Sumi rested her chin onto her hand. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" HoroHoro replied.

"Well... first of all. You're sitting outside in the cold, while everyone is inside." Sumi pointed out.

"I needed air." He answered in a dull voice.

"And number two. Usually you are center of attention with whatever you do so you don't usually act like this."

"I guess you don't know me too well yet Sumi." HoroHoro said bitterly.

"Perhaps... " Sumi stood up and sat next to him. "But don't be down HoroHoro. Want to tell me what's wrong?" There was no response so she took it as a no. She looked at the melted water he was holding in his hands. "Here." She put a rock into his hands. "If you can grow this seed into a tree, then I allow you to do whatever you want, but if you can't-"

"Wait a minute. You want me to grow this?" HoroHoro interrupted, staring at her incredulously.

"Yeah." Sumi stared back, with a serious expression.

His eyes shrunk to dots, thinking that she was on crack. "Uh, this is a rock and you can't grow rocks." Holding the pebble up, he gave her the most bizzare look. "I'm not an idiot. I'm not going to waste my time growing this stupid rock that I know won't become a stupid tree. Nothing will happen."

She smiled. "Then don't waste your time feeling down. It's the same logic."

He had the most surprised expression she'd ever seen, so she just continued. "Things will get better, if you make it get better." She rubbed her hands together to keep warm. "I heard that every minute that you waste being sad, angry, or unhappy, is a moment of happiness that you would never get back."

HoroHoro seemed to stare at her with a new light as Sumi stood up. "I guess I'll talk to you later HoroHoro. Don't be so down. Life goes on." She gave him one last smile. "Whether we want it to or not." Then she waved and headed back inside.

HoroHoro sighed and leaned on his knees, turning the little pebble around with his fingers. "So I'm wasting my time hmm?"

"HoroHoro?" He heard Lyserg's voice behind him a few minutes later and he turned around.

"Hey what's up Lyserg?"

"Are you feeling okay?" His green-haired friend stared at him with concern.

HoroHoro snorted and grinned sheepishly. "I'm doing better. Sorry Lyserg...."

Lyserg looked surprised. "About what?"

"That I've been off lately." HoroHoro threw an arm around his friend's neck as he pocketed the little stone. "But I'm better now cause I understand the situation more."

"Huh?" Lyserg was caught off guard by his friend's actions. _Is he talking about Jeanne?_

"Is there games here? Let's go play!" HoroHoro jumped up.

----------------------------------------

Sumi entered the room with Yuna just laying on her bed, reading a magazine on her stomach, swinging her legs. "Hi Yuna." She greeted and threw herself onto her bed.

"Hi." She replied and turned the page.

Sumi grinned looking at her. _You can never tell what she goes through by looking at her._

"What are you looking at?" She didn't even look up. "I can feel you staring at me."

"Ah!" Sumi scratched her head awkwardly. "Um... Here." She put a wrapped chocolate on her bed beside her.

Yuna looked at it. "Is it poisoned?"

She laughed. "Why would I do that to you?"

Yuna shrugged. "Who knows? You probably hate me for trying to take Keigo away from you."

"What? I don't... really care about him..." Sumi answered. "And I don't hate you. I don't think you're a bad person at all."

Yuna just sat up, pushing her magazine aside. "You should." She pulled her legs up to her chin and just looked at Sumi with interest, her heart secretly warm with the compliment.

"I should what? Care about Keigo or hate you?" Sumi was confused.

"Both." Yuna stood up. "There's a lot that's going on. You need to stay close to Keigo and stay away from me." She said as she grabbed her jacket.

"Huh?" Sumi hopped up. "Wait. I don't understand. Where are you going?" Grabbing her jacket, she stumbled after her.

"Hey Yuna, wait up. Where are you going?" Sumi said as she trailed behind her, trying to put on her jacket.

Yuna just kept her pace. "For a walk."

"Are you going to explain to me?" Sumi asked as she ran up beside her.

The girl sighed. "You aren't staying away from me... " All she recieved back was Sumi's blank look. After some hesitation, Yuna just muttered. "All you need to know is that it's dangerous around Ikuto."

"So how does-"

"Mind if I join you guys?" A voice interrupted and they saw the history teacher, Mr. Yuu standing there smiling at them.

"Uh..." Sumi looked at Yuna. _Man... I never get any of my answers._

Yuna scratched the side of her face and nodded, giving Sumi a look that meant, 'end of conversation.'

A few minutes later, they were walking on the snow outside, breathing in the cold air. "So how are you guys liking this trip so far?"

"Oh, I'm having fun." Sumi said brightly.

Tooya Yuu looked at Yuna, who gave a quick reply. "It's alright."

"First time snowboarding?" He asked.

"Yeah! It's pretty cool!" Sumi looked at her teacher. "Have you been snowboarding?"

He nodded, glancing back at Yuna, who slowly replied because he was expecting her to.

"It's my second time." She turned to Sumi, giving her a questioning look. "It's your first time? Have you ever been on a board before this?"

Sumi shook her head. "It's my first time on the board. I just watched Pirika and Ren and caught on."

"You're a fast learner huh?" Mr. Yuu asked as they walked on.

Sumi scratched her head. "I wouldn't say that. It only applies to some things."

A ringtone sounded in the night air and Yuna jumped. Realizing it was her phone, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out, only to have it slip and fly through the air. "My phone!" Her voice was filled with surprised as she scrambled to reach for it.

Sumi stretched out her arms and caught it. She hung in air for a moment before she realized that she was leaning over an edge of a steep hill. "Yuna!" She threw the phone back into the air behind her and started waving her arms like crazy to try to maintain her balance. "Ah!"

Yuna caught her phone and looked up to see the teacher grab at Sumi's arm before she tilted over. She was grabbing Mr. Yuu's arm, so she had pulled him down with her because he didn't have any footing.

"Hang on!" He cried out to Sumi.

Yuna quickly stuffed her phone into her pocket and dived for Mr. Yuu's other arm. She grabbed him and pulled as hard as she could. For the next few minutes, there was nothing but silence as they all struggled to get back over the edge.

They all let out a relieved breath as they sat on the snow, breathing hard. "Let's never do that again." Mr. Yuu suggested.

Sumi giggled. "Please no." She looked at Yuna. "Thanks."

"Um, no problem. Thanks for getting my phone." Yuna replied.

Sumi turned to Mr. Yuu and bowed her head a little. "Thank you Mr. Yuu. Sorry."

He breathed tiredly. "That's why we went over all those safety rules. Your phone isn't worth losing your life over." He stood up and indicated to the resort. "Maybe we should head back now."

A nod from both girls was the reply as they got up and followed him, worn out. Yuna's phone rang once more and she picked it up, quickly pressing it to her ear.

"They'll be there tomorrow." Then there was the dial tone. Yuna hung up and sighed. _What a nice vacation..._ She thought sarcastically to herself.

----------------------

"Whoooweeee!" Chocolove shouted excitedly when they were at the top. "I'm king of the world!"

HoroHoro smashed a snowball on the top of his head. "Be quiet. You'll wake the snowmans."

Chocolove made a face and brushed off the snow on his head and shoulders. "What snowmans?"

"Oh you know. Those abominable snowmans. The Yeti." Ren joined them. "Becareful. They might eat you." He said warningly with a smirk.

"No way." Chocolove's expression was wide with alarm.

"It's okay. If you snowboard fast, you can avoid them." Lyserg added seriously as he fixed his goggles.

"Do they really exist?" The joker asked.

HoroHoro supressed himself from laughing and nodded over to his sister. "If you don't believe us, ask Pirika, she would know."

"Pirika!" Chocolove called out.

The blue-haired girl snapped her head towards his direction and held a finger up to her lips. "Shh! You'll wake the snowmans!" She whispered back harshly before turning back to Tamao.

Chocolove's eyes were now wide. "Really?" He faced the guys, who were all trying to look serious and nodding. Chocolove shivered.

They snickered. "Now let's make it down, before those snowman wake up." Lyserg said grinning.

Pirika looked at Ren and next you know, they were already going down the hill at mach speed.

"Oh dang. Watch them go." Lyserg commented and gave Chocolove a push. "You're turn."

Chocolove began sliding down and he covered his mouth to keep from screaming. Lyserg jumped and slid after him, waving to HoroHoro.

HoroHoro chuckled. Pirika had always said that line when they were noisy. She liked the quietness especially on soft snow, but mainly it was also a safety hazard. Soft snow was loose snow and too much noise, especially at that mountain, could create an avalanche. He jumped to turn his board to the side and slid after them. "Meet you guys at the bottom." He said to the others and down he went.

About half an hour later, everyone finally got to the bottom. After a bit of arguing and more complaining, the group decided to go up once more to the highest run. This time though, everyone was snowboarding together at a slower pace, waiting for each other and talking as they desended the mountain.

"So Sumi, do you really think there's a Yeti?" Chocolove whispered as he boarded beside her.

"Huh?" She looked at him blankly. "Eh... I don't think so."

"They said that there was one on this mountain. If we're too loud, we might wake him up." Chocolove pointed out.

"Really?" Sumi raised her eyebrow as she continued watching his facial expression, trying to catch a snicker or smirk. It looked like he really believed it. "Uh... Are you su-"

"Hey watch out!" Chocolove shouted, then quickly covered his mouth, his eyes flickering back and forth, looking for any signs of the abominable snowman.

However, the girl in front of Sumi screamed, and tried to scramble away, causing her to knock down some other girls standing beside her. The result of her escape was zero, because they all just tumbled to the ground at the same spot. Sumi quickly tried to brake, but failed to do it quick enough, so she had no choice but to turn. Quickly avoiding the screaming mass of girls, she found herself going off the path.

The screaming attracted attention of everyone around them, so they all looked to see what was going on. They turned to see Sumi evading Mika and the Hanagumi and hurried over to see Sumi sliding down the side of the mountain into the forest. She was sitting on her butt and trying to stop herself with her board and arm, but the side was too steep for her to make any complete stops.

"Sumi!" Anna called out when she reached the edge.

Hao didn't hesitate to jump and snowboard down, nearly missing the trees as he weaved through them after Sumi.

"Ah! You guys, I can't stop!" Tamao's voice came from behind them and HoroHoro tried to grab her arm from running into them. He was able to grab her arm, but she still knocked into Anna and Anna tumbled forward. There was so much screaming after as one after another began tripping over each other and slipping down the side of the mountain.

"Shit. Sumi!" Anna had heard Keigo's voice cried out before she felt herself slide.

"Anna!" Yoh cried out and sprung after her when he saw that she was going down. He grabbed her arm to keep her from going any further.

"Yoh..." Her voice sounded scared and desperate as she stared up at him with a frightened look.

Yoh felt someone grab his leg in the giant chaotic heap behind him, and he was relieved to find himself not moving.

Keigo was holding onto Yoh's leg, cursing at what was suddenly happening.

The rumbling began and HoroHoro tried to make sense of what was happening in the huge group of people. The snow underneath them suddenly gave way and more screaming echoed in his ear as he saw everyone began sliding down along with the snow down the side of the mountain. He kept his grip tight on Tamao. _Shit... Everyone is going to get separated. _He saw everyone drift further crying out and yelling, with the snow carrying all of them towards different directions down the side of the mountain.

"HoroHoro-" Tamao called out. Their fingers were slipping from each others.

HoroHoro hastily grabbed her arm with his other hand and pulled her closer to him. _We better all survive this. Pirika, please be okay._

---------------------------

Sumi pushed the weight as hard as she could and finally breaking through, she popped her head out of the snow she was buried under and took a deep breath. _Whew... that was close..._ She managed to pull herself up half way out until her board got caught under something hard. She figured it was the root of the tree since she was right beside one. Sumi tried to get the board untangled from whatever was blocking it, but to no avail. So giving up, she decided to abandon the board. Reaching down, she unclipped the bindings and pulled herself out.

Letting out a relieved sigh, she looked around at her surroundings. Trees covered every inch of the sky and only a few rays of sunlight shone through. She shivered and tried to map out where she was in her head. From what she remembered after looking at the map, she guessed that they only got down a quarter of the mountain when she fell off the side. She probably landed on the second mountain, the area with the trees, which means she would still have to decend to a clearing in order to get back to the resort. Sumi looked around. It was much harder to tell which direction to go than on the map because the trees surrounded her in every way.

Sumi sighed. _At least I'm still alive..._ She was thankful for that. Randomly choosing a direction, she just headed whatever way she felt was right.

-----------------------

Hao shook the snow off of him. _Great... Where in the world am I?_ He looked at the environment. "Sumi!" He called out, not expecting a response. As expected, only chirping of the birds were heard. Taking off his snowboard, he circled around, examining his scenery. The last thing he remembered was hearing a lot of screaming behind him before he found himself covered in snow.

He hadn't reached Sumi in time and she had disappeared from his sight when he realized that he was also in danger. He looked up to see leaves covering the sunlight. _I hope the others are okay..._

--------------------

"Ugh..." Anna groan as she sat up, blinking a few times to clear her vision. Around her, she saw Yoh, Keigo, one of the twins, and Mika, all unconscious. _Oh man..._ Her heart pounded faster. _They better be okay..._

Anna unstrapped her boots from the board and crawled over to Yoh. Brushing the snow off of him, she shook him. "Yoh. Yoh. Wake up."

To her relief, Yoh moaned, then slowly his eyes opened. "Are you okay Anna?"

"Yes. Dummy. I'm fine. How about you?" She asked concerned.

"Sore. But other than that. I'm peachy." Yoh rotated his shoulders as he sat up. He looked at the others lying on the floor with wide eyes. Turning to her, he asked. "Are they okay?"

"I don't know. I woke you first." Anna had began to crawl over to her worst enemy. She shook the other girl gently. "Hey. Hey. Are you alright?"

The girl pushed Anna's arm off her. "Leave me alone. Give me five more minutes..." She murmured.

_At least, she's not hurt... _Anna looked over to Yoh, who had waken Keigo and the twin up already. Keigo was rubbing his head and groaned. He shook his head to get the snow off his hair, which was now damp. Looking over himself, he found himself alright and not injured.

"Takuya, how are you feeling?"

The twin was brushing the snow off his hair. "Alright so far. Where are we?"

Yoh stood up. "Well, probably on the second mountain. It's going to be hard to get on the path." He looked at his snowboard on the ground. "I think I'm going to abandon that board. I don't want to carry it around."

"Good point." Keigo noted as he began freeing his legs.

Yoh looked at Keigo. "Thanks for helping me back there Keigo."

He didn't look up from his bindings. "No problem."

Keigo looked around once he finished and stood up. "Are the other students okay? Have you seen them?"

Yoh shook his head as he walked over to Anna, who was crouching by the girl, still trying to wake her gently. "I'm pretty sure they're around. Hopefully we'll bump into them and hopefully no one is hurt." He reached down and patted Mika's face. "Hey, wake up. We need to find everyone else."

Mika's eyes finally opened and her eyes shot out wide. Quickly she sat up, blushing. "Uh..." She finally realized that she wasn't in the comfort in a bed, but outside. "What happened?"

Yoh helped Anna to her feet and then reached to pull Mika up as well. "Seems like all the screaming that was going on made the snow loose and we slid down the mountain."

She blinked and slowly she started to remember what was going on earlier. She hastily looked around for the other students, but saw no one but the five of them. "What about the others? They aren't de..." Her voice vanished on her.

Anna was surprised to see her frightened. "I don't think so. We just have to find them."

Keigo looked at Anna. _At least I know that she'll be okay. _He noticed Yoh protectively holding onto her arm. _Now the one I'm more worry about is Sumi..._ He looked at Takuya, who was wearing a worried expression. _Takuya is probably worried about Toshiro..._

"Let's go find them then." Takuya spoke up and just started walking.

"Wait, we should go this way." Yoh pointed to their left. "I noticed as we were going down, that the others were going in that direction."

_Leave it to Yoh to notice things even in life and death situations... No wonder he's a weirdo..._ Anna thought to herself and saw that Takuya looked surprised, but still turned and headed towards the direction that Yoh pointed to. _Man... this is what I still get even if I try to go on a break... More stressful situations..._

---------------------------

"Arg! You got to be kidding me!" HoroHoro shouted. "My poor board!" Attached to his feet was his board, cracked in half, down the center. His eyes were wide and he looked like he could cry.

Tamao scratched her head. "Um, at least you're okay..."

"But!" He cried out exasperated. "I had it specially designed and everything. It was a one of a kind board!"

She sweatdropped. He was being a bit to emotional for her to handle. She watched HoroHoro take off his board and hugged it, tears threatening to fall. _Now I know, I would never ever mess with his board..._ He began digging a hole and buried it, hanging his head low.

Tamao quietly had taken off her snowboard, which was just a bit scratched up and stood up. There was no one around them and it was all quiet except for the chirping of the birds and HoroHoro's occasional whimpering and sniffling.

"HoroHoro. Maybe we should look for the others and get off this mountain before it gets dark." Tamao suggested giving the blue-haired boy a concern look.

He looked up from the ground with a solemn expression and nodded, sniffling.

Tamao couldn't supressed her smile quick enough and it escaped to her lips with a small giggle. _He looks so much like a little boy._

His eyebrows were now furrowed and he stood up. "What's so funny?"

"Ah! Nothing." Tamao said and pointed to a random direction. "Which way to go?"

"Towards the others. You pick." HoroHoro said and looked around. His sense of direction was really bad, so he didn't want to lead them to a completely opposite direction and have them lost forever.

Tamao looked unsure. "This way?" She pointed towards the trees.

HoroHoro shrugged and just headed towards that direction. "Let's go then."

--------------------------------

Pirika found herself against Ren's chest when she opened her eyes and she sat up quickly blushing.

"Congrats. You're the first one to get up." A voice was heard and Pirika turned her head to see Yuna leaning against a tree, looking at her.

She looked around to see Ren lying unconscious on the floor and the three Hanagumi girls also all sprawled out a few feet away. Turning back to Yuna, she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It looks like everyone is fine, just knocked out." Yuna replied, not moving from her spot.

Pirika nodded and shifted her legs, but winced. She bit her lip and quickly removed her bindings, letting her board slide away from her. Pulling her legs out from under her, she stretched it out front. She just twisted her right ankle a little bit during their fall. _Great..._ Ignoring her pain, she looked at Ren and shook him. "Hey jerk. Wake up."

He didn't budge and she poked his cheek. "Butt face. We need to get out of here."

Ren finally stirred and he sat up rubbing his eyes. "What?" He noticed Yuna first and they just stared at each other for a few seconds before Ren tore his eyes away from her to look at Pirika sitting beside him.

Pirika had noticed this and remembered that Yuna was his ex-girlfriend. She didn't know what happened between them exactly, but the feeling was unsettling. Somehow, she felt her heart drop a little.

"What's with the face?" Ren asked as he spotted the other girls, lying on the ground. Quickly standing up, he went over to them, shaking them. Slowly they stirred and he let out a sigh of relief. "Hey dork. Don't worry. They're okay."

Pirika smiled, glad that he interpreted her expression as a different meaning.

"Ren?" A dazed Kanna had sat up, looking around and seeing her friends sit up as well. "Where are we?"

"Lost." He replied, giving Yuna his attention once again.

Yuna looked away. "I don't know the way, if that's what you're going to ask. That's why I was waiting for you guys to wake up." Her heartbeat was pounding furiously everytime he looked at her and despite her efforts, she couldn't control it.

Ren finally looked away and back to Pirika, who was still sitting on the ground, staring up at him. "Let's see if we can find the others and get out of here." He said as he held his hand down to pull her up.

Pirika hesitantly took it, giving Yuna a quick glance with the corner of her eyes. Yuna was looking at the ground with a somewhat sad expression in her eyes. After Ren pulling her up to a standing position, Pirika tried her best to stand up straight without putting pressure onto her right ankle and not make it noticeable. She didn't want them to worry at this point. Plus it wasn't too bad.

"If we fell from that direction," Mari pointed out, thinking logically. "And if we fell to the right of the group, then to get to the others, we should go that way." Mari pointed towards the darker area of trees.

Pirika blinked. The girl was pretty smart. She watched the girl pull out a pocket knife and walked up to the tree, leaving a mark.

Ren nodded at them and started walking towards the direction that Mari pointed out. Everyone followed him and Pirika waited until everyone was in front of her before trailing behind them.

Yuna looked around. _Those men of Ikuto's must be looking for us by now... Though this is unexpected... It can either help them or make it harder for them... I'm actually hoping that this kidnapping won't work out for him... Don't let them find you guys..._

-------------------------

Lyserg was holding onto a tree and grabbing Jeanne's hand to keep them from sliding down even further. Using his strength, he pulled them to the side of the tree so they could just rest on it. He pulled Jeanne in front of him and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from tilting down. Relaxing his head against her back, he closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath. _Whew!_ He was worn out. Before him, Jeanne was unconscious, which made it even harder to save her without her help.

He pulled off her board and his board, letting them slide down the mountain. He was not going to drag that around with him. He'll just a buy new one the next time he goes. He rested his head against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes. Jeanne's head was resting against his chest, so he knew she was okay for now. Hopefully, she wakes up soon because he doesn't think that he has the strength to carry her around at this time.

He was pretty exhausted so he closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, Jeanne was shaking him to wake up. Her blushing face came into his view as he yawned.

"Mm, you're awake." Lyserg mumbled. "Let's go."

"Did you fall asleep waiting for me?" Jeanne asked. "Sorry..."

He shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. Let's find the others." He helped her stand up first, then got up himself. After walking for a few minutes, Jeanne pointed at something sticking out of the ground.

"Lyserg! Look. It's someone's snowboard." She ran towards it and began to tug at it.

Lyserg was too tired to run after her to help her, so he just slowly trudged towards her. Seeing that she was surprised that someone was attached to it. She quickly tugged harder and found herself facing none other than Chocolove, who grinned up at her, when she fell backwards.

"You... found... me..." He grumbled happily, shaking the snow off of him and jumping up. "Thank you Iron Maiden! I thought I was going to be stuck in the snow forever!"

_Iron Maiden?_ Jeanne stared at him confused. _Where did that name come from?_

He ran over to Lyserg, who was leaning against a tree. "How are you feeling buddy? Where are the others?"

"I'm not fully awake yet." He grinned at the not-so-funny comedian. "As for the others..." He paused for a second.

Chocolove wasting no time jumping into a conclusion. Slapping both hands to his cheek, his eyes went wide. "Did they... kick the bucket?" Kicking his leg at the same time he said those words.

Now he saw why Ren always got annoyed at him. Lyserg just made a face. "We just need to find them."

"What if the Yeti got to them?!?" He cried out, now running in circles. "What if they got eaten! What if it is coming after us now?!"

Lyserg picked up a snowball and hurled it at the screaming guy. It hit him in the head and knocked him over. "Chill. Don't worry. There is no Yeti."

Chocolove now bounced up with his eyes burning, his snowboard slipping away. "There is no Yeti? That can't be true. I know it's out there. Otherwise how did the avalanche come?" He pointed at Lyserg. "There's no need to lie to me to calm me down Lyserg." He now got into a meditative position and hummed to himself. "I can calm myself down."

Lyserg's eyes had shrunk to dots. "Uh..." _Now this guy was weird..._ He gave Jeanne a look, who shrugged and smiled. "How about we just find the others?"

Chocolove jumped out. "Leave that to me! I will find out where everyone is hiding in no time!" He cried and grabbed both Jeanne and Lyserg's arm as he sprinted, making them fly after him.

---------------------------------

"Arg! Stupid Hao! I can't figure him out!" Liz yelled out as she kicked a tree trunk. "Tell me what is he thinking!"

Ryo and Toshiro were just leaning on both sides of a tree watching her vent out her anger.

"He seems to like Sumi." Toshiro bluntly said with a bored expression. "Keigo noticed too."

Liz looked at him, then returned back to kicking the tree. "Stupid Hao! Stupid Hao! Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's nice?" Toshiro answered. "I think she is."

Her eyes flared at Toshiro as she turned to look at him, but he didn't even become fazed. "Stop answering my questions! I wasn't asking you!"

"Were you talking to the tree then?" Toshiro said dully.

"Stop talking to me!" Liz shouted heatedly.

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "I guess you were..." He got off the tree and turned taking a few steps away from them. "Maybe that's why he likes Sumi more... She doesn't talk to trees..."

Liz could only glare and she let out an exasperated breath of air as she clenched her fists. She was so pissed. Hao had abandoned her to go after Sumi, not caring about her. Whose boyfriend does that to you? She could only take so much of his lack of attention. And now they're lost. Stranded in some forest in the middle of winter. A few tears escaped her eyes and fell to the snow. What can she do?

"Don't cry now Liz. Don't show him that you're letting him get to you." Ryo said from the tree, where he was watching her. He could see why Hao liked Sumi, because he himself found her attractive as well, both in personality and features. She was one of those rare kind of girls that you don't run into everyday. But hearing Liz's side, he could feel how hard it is to match up to that kind of girl. Not everyone gets what they want. There isn't always some happy ending for everyone, especially if more than one person likes the same person.

Liz looked away. "I'm not crying." She sniffled. "Because I'm going to make him pay attention to me." Liz said confidently, but her voice slightly shook. She wiped her wet cheeks, then looked at him. "Sorry Ryo. I forgot to thank you for helping me back there. I would have been a pancake. I owe you one." He had covered her with himself as they rolled down the hill to keep her from crashing into anything. _Now if only Hao could do that for me..._

"Are you done now?" Toshiro's voice was heard a few feet awhile. "We shouldn't waste time. When it gets dark, I don't think we can go anywhere."

Liz picked up snow, packing it into a snowball. She threw it at the back of Toshiro's head, but he turned around and tilted his head to the side and it flew past him.

"Come on. Let's go. Before it gets dark." Toshiro sighed.

Ryo looked at Liz. "Come on. Let's go." They walked towards him and Liz asked as they caught up with him.

"Hey Toshiro. Tell me what Keigo is thinking about Sumi." Liz suggested as she walked beside him.

"No." He answered and examined his surroundings as they walked.

"Don't be so stingy! Share some information!"

"No."

"But I want to know!"

--------------------

Sumi was walking when she saw a board slide down towards her. _A snowboard?_ She looked up towards where it came from. There was no one there. "Hey!" She called out, hoping to get a reply. There was only silence. _Maybe I can catch them before they go too far. _Sumi thought and ran up the hill.

------------------

"Ta Da!" Chocolove pointed through the trees. Lyserg and Jeanne were leaning on their knees trying to catch their breaths.

"Huh?" Lyserg lifted his head, peeking one eye open to see Chocolove pointing towards three figures a good distance away. _No way. This guy..._

"It looks like Liz, Ryo, and one of the twins." Jeanne stated.

"Let's go!" Chocolove pumped a fist into the air and grabbed both of their hands once again.

"W-wait!" Lyserg cried out, but Chocolove had already started dragging them.

Liz was still trying to convince Toshiro to spill, when Chocolove jumped in front of them, surprising them.

"And the King has arrived!" Chocolove shouted happily, with both hands on his hips and Lyserg and Jeanne on the side, leaning on their knees trying to catch their breath. "Victory!" He shoved a peace sign at Toshiro's face.

Toshiro blinked at their entrance and pointed at Chocolove. "Oh you're that annoying not-so-funny guy that I always see Ren smack."

Chocolove felt himself shattered as he crumbled to the floor. "Is that what you guys see me as?"

All three of them nodded and Chocolove clutched at his heart. "Nooo!" He was sprawled out on the snow, but then jumped back up a second later. "I will not let myself give in to despair! For I will make you guys notice me as Chocolove! The world's funniest comedian!" He stood proudly, grinning to himself. "HAHAHA!"

Toshiro looked at Liz. "Is he always like that?"

Liz nodded. "I believe so."

"Great." Toshiro put his hands to his head and continued walking. "Found three. Now let's see if we can find the others."

----------

_Oh man. This hill. _Sumi looked up. It was a far way up. Meaning she had gone a long way down. The snowboard could have been sliding for a while now. She doubt she could reach whoever it was in time. Sumi sighed and just dropped herself to the ground. _Break time..._ She looked up at the leaves. From what she could tell. It was getting dark. Sumi shivered. It was eerie quiet. _How scary..._

--------------------

-When you love someone, say it, right there and then or the moment... just passes you by...


	19. Chapter 19

.: So This is How it is:.

------

The three men looked down at the snow covered path. One of them speed dialed his phone and pressed it to his ear. "Boss. It looks like there was an avalanche and they are all lost in the forest. What should we do?"

"What are you talking about? It is clearly an advantage for us. Find them before the search team does." The order came back through the phone.

"Yes Sir." He answered and hung up the phone. The man looked at his teammates. It was easier said than done. They peered over the area. It was a rather large area to cover to find two girls. And who knew if they were alive or not. There was also the possibility of getting lost themselves.

One of the other man sighed. "Gotta do what the Boss wants." And he entered the forest.

The other two nodded then followed him in.

---------------

_I hope HoroHoro is okay... _Pirika let herself slide down slowly against a tree when they all decided to sit and not go any further. It was now dark and they could barely see. They didn't even bump into anyone during their search. _Ah! This feels good. _She let her ankle rest and leaned back against the tree. _So comfortable to be off my feet. _

Ren had said that he was going to gather some wood, so they can make a campfire to keep warm. Two of the girls, Macchi and Mari, decided to go look for some food, if there was any. Pirika, Yuna, and Kanna were all just sitting on the ground staring off quietly. None of them spoke. Pirika stole a glance at Yuna. She looked worried as her eyes darted around, searching for something.

"Is something wrong Yuna?" Pirika spoke up and Kanna's attention flew towards them.

Yuna shook her head. "No. Everything is fine."

_Maybe she isn't use to being outside for this long. _A gust of wind blew by and Pirika shivered. _It's getting cold too..._

Ren soon returned with a pile of sticks, leaves, and branches. Kanna stood up and walked over to him to help him start the fire because she had a cigarette lighter. In no time, the fire was soon blazing and all of them crept close to it to keep warm. The other girls returned with some berries and they shared whatever they had. Sure it wasn't scrumptious like their everyday meal, but no one complained because there wasn't much they could do anyways. If any of them had their cellphones, they wouldn't be facing this kind of situation at all.

A few hours later, everyone was laying on the snow with their eyes closed, completely exhausted. Ren, however, was sitting up poking at the fire as he inhaled the cold night air.

Yuna sat up, startling Ren, but his expression didn't show any sign of surprise. She hugged her knees and stared into the fire, then after a few minutes she looked over to Ren. "Ren..."

His eyes flew to her, surprised that she called out to him. Pirika awoken at the sound of Yuna's voice, but kept her eyes closed. Her voice sounded gentler, compared to her hard, firm, confident voice during the day.

There was a long pause, before Yuna spoke up again. "Could... you..." Yuna hesitated. "Forgive me?"

_Forgive her? _Pirika's nosy side decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. _I wonder what she did. No one ever talked about it._

Ren felt his heart clutch. "..."

"I know you don't feel the same way about me anymore... but..." She said quietly. "Please don't hate me..."

"I... don't hate you..." Ren grumbled and continued poking at the fire.

Yuna seemed to relax a little from hearing him say that. "Can I ask you something?"

"..." Ren didn't respond to her.

"Can you promise me..." A sad look crossed her eyes. "That you won't hate me in the future?"

A suspicious look was covering Ren's eyes as he stared at her. "What does that mean?"

Yuna pursed her lips and hugged her knees closer to her. "I... just... don't want you to hate me..."

Ren sighed inwardly. _Please don't look like that. _He handed her his jacket, seeing her shivering, but still keeping a good distance away. "I won't hate you."

She looked at him with surprise, then took his jacket gratefully. Wrapping it around herself, she snuggled into it and closed her eyes with a warm smile on her face. "Thanks Ren..." She whispered. _I know I don't deserve you... And it would be wrong of us to be together... _

Ren gave her a sad distant smile, seeing her like that again. Then he turned back to the fire, his heart throbbing.

Pirika bit her lip, aware of the change of the atmosphere. She felt... how should she describe it... envious? _Damn... Am I falling for him? My brother's friend?_

-----------------------

Anna was asleep against a tree when Yoh just walked over and sat beside her. He pulled her off the tree and against him, embracing her. She didn't wake, but just snuggled into his warmth, unaware of the situation.

Keigo and Takuya were just watching, when they heard Mika sneering at the sleeping Anna Kyoyama. Keigo smirked. "You know... Jealousy will kill you one day."

Mika's attention flew to Keigo, then she spoke up. "Well, I just don't think it's fair."

Keigo chuckled. "What's not fair?"

"Them." Mika answered, staring at Keigo. His voice was rather luring. It was smooth and comforting.

"What can you do about it?" Keigo stretched, leaning back into his tree.

"Destroy her." Mika's thought slipped out and she mentally hit herself for saying it out loud, seeing that Keigo's grin disappeared and a unsatisfied look was covering his expression.

"Now that's unfair." Takuya spoke up. "She didn't do anything to you."

Keigo closed his eyes. "Girls are vicious..."

Mika didn't say anything and just looked away ashamed.

"Now if you think that way, doesn't it explain why he would rather spend time with her?"

Mika now looked back at Keigo, who had just spoken. His face was relaxed and she realized that he wasn't as intimidating that she had thought he was. Every girl was scared to approach him because he had this facial feature on his handsome face that read 'Talk to me and you die.'

She sighed, resting her face against her knees. "It doesn't even matter, because they never even look my direction anyways."

"Why do you think that?" Keigo had peeped one eye open at her.

"That's just how it is..." She replied.

Takuya frowned. "If it helps, guys like girls more confident in themselves. They don't want the girls to stoop to unnecessary requirements to make them noticeable."

"Because its not you." Keigo smiled. "We rather them be who they are."

Mika blushed.

"It's more comforting to know that they won't change on you." Takuya added.

She was definitely learning a lot from them. And for some reason, she couldn't get stop herself from turning red. Mika then shrugged and turned away from them. "Thanks." She murmured. "I'm going to sleep now." She pursed her lips, her heart trembling. _Have I really been going about it the wrong way? Are they right? If so... what do I do now?_

A warm material covered her. "Sorry if we were harsh."

Mika looked up to see Keigo and Takuya standing there.

"But I would like to personally ask if you may stop what you do to the other girls if you may." Keigo smiled at her, nodded and walked back with Takuya to their spot.

"Sleep well." Takuya called out.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" Mika asked, holding the warm jacket.

"Nah." Keigo called back. "I'm alright. Been through worse."

"Thanks." She replied and turned back to facing the other direction. _What should she do?_

Yoh, a few feet away heard everything and tried not to smile at what Keigo pulled. _Thanks Keigo._

---------------

_Day two._ Sumi stood up and stretched. _And I still haven't found anyone. Why me?_ She yawned. _Maybe I'll have luck today._ She climbed out of her little fort that she built to keep the cold wind from blowing at her. It worked rather well because she was pretty warm and pretty comfortable.

Looking around, she decided to search for some berries or at least something to eat. _I feel like it's a game. _ She chuckled to herself. _Though I hope that it'll end soon though because it's rather lonely... and kind of scary. _ She saw a couple birds picking at a berry bush and she decided to head towards it.

Humming, she started picking it. She heard some footsteps and quickly turned around, hoping to see a person. To her surprise, it _was_ a person, and she rubbed her eyes to make sure that it wasn't a figment of her imagination.

The guy was dressed in a black suit and he looked equally surprised to see her as well. "Sumi Mitsuki?" He asked.

Two more guys dressed in suits ran behind the first guy. "No way. Really? Already?"

"Is she alone?" One of them began looking around, eyes scanning the area.

The other guy smiled. "Oh man. What luck. And I thought we were going to be stuck here forever."

"Uh. Are you guys looking for me?" Sumi's face lit up. _Search team?_

One of the guys grinned. "Why yes we are. Please come with us."

Without warning, one of the other guys pulled out a gun. "And you won't be hurt."

Sumi's eyes widened in surprise and her heart skyrocketted. _They're not a search team._

The other two turned and glared at him. "Idiot! Why did you do that?" One of them yelled.

"What? I thought this was a kidnapping." He cried back.

Sumi took this chance to run. She dropped her berries and sprinted away from them. A shot suddenly rang out behind her and she jumped, but still kept running.

"Stupid! What are you doing? You aren't suppose to shoot her! Boss wants her alive!"

"Sorry! But she was running from us!"

"That's because you pulled out your gun genius! It would have worked better if she thought that we were a rescue team!"

"Stop bickering and go after her!"

-------------------

Yuna shot up and looked towards the sound. There was no denying it, it was a...

"Was that a gunshot?" Ren asked, looking at the others.

"Sounded like one." Kanna answered.

Macchi stood up. "Are we going towards it?"

"Won't that be dangerous?" Mari looked at Ren.

"Doesn't that mean that there are people there?" Ren looked around at them. "If they are hunters, then they wouldn't shoot us. As for killers? What are they doing in the middle of the forest?" Ren's eyes lingered on Pirika, who he noticed was limping a little.

"Good point." Kanna pointed out. "Let's head towards it. I'm sure the other students heard it as well."

Ren nodded and followed Kanna towards the direction of the noise.

"Isn't this a resort though?" Mari asked. "Why would there be hunters?"

Macchi shrugged. "Shouldn't we still go see? They won't shoot us right?"

"Let's just go before they leave." Kanna said as she continued walking.

Ren looked back to see Pirika limping. _She's hurt._

Pirika tried to maintain her posture as she stumbled after them. For some reason, her ankle hurted more painfully today than the day before. Making haste to go after them, she accidently put more pressure on her right ankle and her leg gave way.

Arms wrapped around her and she was pulled back up. She looked up at Ren to give him a nervous chuckle. "Uh, hi Ren."

"Stupid. If you were hurt, why didn't you say anything?" Ren scolded.

"I'm fine." Pirika lied, pushing his arms away from her.

Ren rolled his eyes. "As if I believe you." He squatted down in front of her and pulled her arms over his shoulders and around his neck.

"Hey!" Pirika shouted as he stood up. She attempted to jump off his back, but his hands held her there.

"Just be good and hang on." Ren ordered and walked after Kanna, who resumed heading towards the gunshot direction after seeing that everyone was okay.

Pirika had her arms around Ren's neck and she rested her head against his shoulder quietly. It reminded her of the time at school. It was rather nice being around him. Even though he was an arrogant jerk sometimes.

Pirika spotted Yuna watching them with the corners of her eyes wearing a faint depressed look. Pirika felt guilty, as if she was invading their relationship.

"You know, you have to learn to trust me more. Don't hide things." Ren mumbled as they walked.

Pirika nodded and whispered softly. "Yeah... I know..."

------------------

Anna had woken up and found herself embraced in Yoh's arms and what was worse was that she was horrified to find her arms around his waist. Anna felt herself turn cherry red within the next millisecond and she jumped back away from him. "Yoh! What do you think you're doing?"

Yoh peeked one eye open with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the other eye. "You're awake Anna."

Keigo and Takuya were now standing up and stretching. Keigo yawned, rubbing his arms. "I'm guessing you found out cause I heard you screaming. Man, you're loud."

Anna glared at Keigo, then back at Yoh. She couldn't even think of words to say at that moment.

"Body warmth is the best warmth." Takuya teased and quickly evaded Anna's flying snowball.

"Do you want to die?" Anna threatened darkly.

Yoh was leaning against a tree, grinning when he spoke up next. "It wasn't that bad was it? You were just sleeping."

Her dark aura encircled him when she turned her menacing glare to him. She muttered to herself, keeping her deadly glare and he only caught a few words that sounded something like, "...taking... advantage..."

The shot unexpectantly rang out and all of them turn towards the direction of the noise. "Did you guys hear what I heard?" Keigo asked, his grin fading.

"No, I heard rabbits singing." Anna shot back sarcastically, still annoyed. However, her dark aura disappeared.

Takuya burst out into laughter. "That was a good one."

"Let's go check it out." Keigo suggested, taking back his jacket that Mika was handing back to him when she got up. Takuya nodded between his chuckling.

"Towards the gunshot?" Mika asked wide eyed, but everyone was already running after Keigo and she quickly also ran after them.

------------------------

Sumi dashed past trees, running at full speed, breathing hard. _Who are they? How do they know who I am? What did they want with me?_ A million questions ran through her mind as her surroundings became a blur.

She suddenly found herself reaching a cliff and abruptly coming to a stop. She'd reach a dead end. She was about to turn around, but in that three second pause, the snow suddenly gave out under her and tumbling down she went. _Oh crap!_ The voice in her head screamed out as she fell down towards the trees.

------------------------

HoroHoro and Tamao had barely bumped into Lyserg, Jeanne, Chocolove, Liz, Ryo, and Toshiro before they heard the gunshot noise. They all looked at each other and ran towards the source of the sound without saying anything.

"Yoh!" HoroHoro cried out as he saw his friend emerge through the trees with the others. They all stopped at the center.

"You guys are all okay! That's great!" Yoh exclaimed, looking at everyone.

"There are still people missing." Jeanne looked and was counting. "Where's Ren?"

"Pirika isn't here either." HoroHoro said worriedly. His head turning from side to side, scanning and seeing the two twins embrace each other happily.

Just then, slowly emerging from the trees was Ren and the other girls. "Looks like the noise brought us all together." Ren stated as he walked up to them and put Pirika down.

"Pirika!" HoroHoro cried out as he ran to his little sister. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Stop. I'm alright. I just twisted my ankle. That's all." Pirika answered quickly, blushing at her brother's concern.

"Hao's still missing." Liz pointed out.

"So is Sumi." Keigo looked at the others. "The gunshot. Does anyone know where it came from?"

"It sounded pretty close, but pretty far." Ryo informed. "But it was in that direction." He pointed further down.

"Should we go?" Mika asked.

Keigo took a step. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going."

"Us too." The twins were grinning, happy that they were reunited.

Liz nodded and so did Ryo.

"I think we should stick together." Mari pointed out.

"Which means we should all go then." Yoh grinned.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Don't think too hard and just do it."

"Yeah. Time's flying." Lyserg agreed.

Pirika got back onto Ren's back and they went forward.

----------

Hao darted past trees. _There shouldn't be any gunshots around here should there?_ He was pretty sure that it came from the direction he was running towards, but it sounded higher up, as if it was on a higher ground. About a couple feet ahead, he saw something fall through the trees and landed on the ground. Quickly, he spun and hid behind a tree, peeping out to see what it was.

Sumi laid on the ground groaning. "Ugh! Ow! That hurt." She pushed herself up, rubbing her neck. "Never do that again."

Above her, she heard voices. "I swear I saw her come this way!" She quickly rolled to hide behind a tree.

"Great! You lost her!" The voices from above were just hovering above the trees.

"You two stupid idiots. WE are on snow. See those footsteps. They show us where she went, so we are going the right way. It looks like she fell off this cliff and into those trees down there." The annoyed voice echoed down to her.

Sumi silently cursed as she heard him and looked at her leg. Her shin was bleeding and it throbbed painfully. She must have injured it when she fell through the trees.

"Let's go around to find a way down. I doubt she got very far." The voices grew quieter and Sumi quickly stood up, ignoring her pain.

_Got to hide somewhere._ Sumi looked around and began running again. _Hide somewhere. Hide somewhere._

She was making her way around the trees, when she felt something grabbed her hand and whipped her around. Surprised covered her face as she found herself face to face with Hao, who was smirking at her. "Hao." She looked around, making sure the people chasing her didn't catch up to her yet.

"Come." He quickly dragged her in another direction.

"Hao. Footprints." Sumi managed to say breathlessly, but he ignored it. They reached an area, where the ground felt harder and she noticed that the snow was really packed, so it didn't leave any tracks.

Hao then turned and after a good fifteen minutes walk, Sumi found them walking into a cave. "How did-"

"I camped here last night when I was wandering around looking for you." Hao pulled her deeper into the cave and then made her sit on a rock.

"Hao, wait why-" Sumi started again, but he interrupted once again.

"Are you alright? I heard a gunshot. Did they shoot you?" He saw her bleeding shin and pulled out his bandana. Surprisingly there was a small pond in the cave and Hao dipped it in. He wringed it and returned back to her. "They didn't right?"

"Oh, no. I'm alright." Sumi tried not to flinch when he pressed against her shin. "I can take care of it myself." She said and stood up.

"Sit." He said and pushed her back down.

Sumi had no choice but to listen. "Um, where are the others? Where's Liz?"

"I haven't found them yet." Hao answered as he cleaned her wound.

"Oh... Wait what?" Sumi exclaimed in surprised.

He looked up at her. "We all tumbled down the mountain, just like you."

"Oh man..." Sumi mumbled, watching him. _Doesn't he live a very pampered life? So he shouldn't be tending to my wounds..._

"Don't worry. I'm sure they're okay." He finished wiping up the blood and then went to wash the piece of cloth, then came back and tied it to her wound. "Who were those people after you?"

"I don't know. I thought they were a search team, but then one of them pulls out a gun, saying something about kidnapping." Sumi explained.

Hao stood up and took her hand. "At least you're okay and you got away."

_Huh?_ Sumi just nodded. "Good thing." However, she was looking at him with confusion. _Hao's acting too nice... I wonder if he hit his head..._

"Let's go find the others." Hao ignored her expression and led her towards the back of the cave. They walked in a stiff awkward silence before they reached the opening. To her surprise, she found out that it opened out to a clear mountain view.

"Wow." Sumi gushed as Hao helped her get off the rock and they began walking again. After admiring the scenery, she finally turned her head towards him. "Thanks."

"No problem." Hao replied quickly and silence once again screamed in his ears. _I'm being too different from normal. I should do something that is more Hao-like. _Then he smoothly turned and winked at her, speaking calmly. "But remember Sumi? I can't always be there to help you."

Sumi frowned at him. "Yeah I know. I can take care of myself." It was different talking to this kind of Hao. It was too caring and somehow it made her anxious and nervous to be around him. But then again, maybe it was because she was scared about the men catching up to her. It felt like a hide and seek game, but with their lives on the line and there wasn't a stop button to end it.

"Sure..." Hao said sarcastically and then after a few more minutes of quiet walking he asked. "So Sumi, what do you think about Keigo?"

A puzzled look covered her face as she glanced at Hao. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Do you enjoy being around him?" Hao's tone seemed to darken. "Why is it that you trust him? He seems rather dangerous to be around."

"And it's not dangerous to be around you guys?" Sumi raised her eyebrows. "I think it's safer to be around him than to be around you guys, especially with your fangirls."

"I don't trust him." Hao said straighforwardly. It wasn't the answer he expected and totally not the one he wanted to hear. "Especially the people that he involved with."

Sumi made a face. "Don't misjudge him. He's much more nicer than you think. And what do you mean the people he's involved with?"

Hao didn't answer her. "Don't you think that being around him could put you in danger?" He wanted her to understand that it wasn't safe to be around him.

Sumi sighed as she caught on his strained tone. "Can we not talk about Keigo? Especially since you don't like the topic."

"Sumi-"

"There she is!" A voice had cried out behind them and they turned around to see the men standing at the cave where they came out of, ending their conversation.

Hao grabbed her hand and began to run. "Let's go."

-----------------------

Keigo and the group suddenly reached an opening where there were less trees and Takuya pointed at the gigantic steep hill that was at a good distance away. "Look! Sumi and Hao! "

"Man. There's no way we can get up there in time. We can't even climb that." Toshiro commented.

Keigo looked up to see them running and three people in black suits chasing after them. They were small, but he could still recognize their figures. He gritted his teeth and ran towards them at full speed with the group running after him.

--------------------

Sumi's leg throbbed and without warning she slipped. She let go of Hao's hand, not wanting to drag him down with her, but instead he jumped out at her and buried her head into his chest as they began tumbling down the powdered white hill.

Keigo now saw them rolling down the hill and the men stopping at the top, looking down, probably trying to figure out how to get down there. He sped up. _Did she fall?_

When they reached the bottom, Sumi was trying to catch her breath after the long roll. It was rather frightening. She had her eyes closed, but the spin felt forever. And not seeing where you were going gave you no reassurance.

Hao released her from his chest and looked down at her between his arms, breathing hard himself. "Are you okay?" _Good thing there was no rocks on that hill._

Sumi nodded, breathless. "Sorry Hao." She managed to say, looking up at him apologetically, her head dizzy.

Hao hesitated, leaning down towards her, he whispered. "It's okay." _Damn Hao, you forgot how to be seductive. You can't even be yourself. _ He rested his head beside her head on the snow for a few seconds, then slowly he pushed himself up. He found himself staring down into her face once again and then with his heart pounding, he leaned towards her and gently kissed her lips. He felt Sumi tense up under him and her eyes shot open with surprise when he made contact with her.

However, in the next second, someone had grabbed the back of his jacket and hauled him up, pushing him back. And without warning, a fist connected to his face. Hao felt himself fly back into the snow, his jaw throbbing. Once his vision cleared of the flying snow, he saw a pissed off Keigo standing before him. Hao touched his sore cheek and angrily sprang up, ready to charge towards him.

Out of nowhere, HoroHoro and Lyserg were holding him back and likewise with the twins on Keigo.

"Calm down guys! Now is not the time!" HoroHoro shouted tiredly, trying to keep Hao in his grip.

"That bastard punched me!" Hao shouted as he struggled against them.

Keigo growled, but he was now calmed with the twins standing on his sides. "What do you think you were doing Hao Asakura?"

Hao just glared angrily at Keigo, but he didn't answer.

Keigo pointed to the side, where Liz was now standing. "Your girlfriend is right there." Liz was staring at Hao, wearing an expression of pain and anger.

Hao bit his lower lip and gritted his teeth, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He looked at Liz and then back at Keigo. _Damn..._ He didn't want to look at Sumi because he didn't want to see what kind of expression she would be wearing. Frustration now overtook his expression and he clenched his fists.

Anna knelt beside Sumi and helped her sit up. She felt very awkward in this situation. She couldn't believed that something like this was happening at a time like this. Her eyes made contact with Anna, who gave her a confused look in response. Yuna looked up at the hill and saw that the three figures had disappeared much to her relief, but she was still alert.

Sumi rubbed the bridge of her nose and stood up, turning around and walking past all of them back towards the trees without giving any of them so much as a glance. She ignored the pain on her leg as she felt the blood beginning to seep through Hao's bandana. _Ugh, I don't know how to make the situation better... I need a moment to think clearly... Why did you have to do that Hao?_

Anna was suprised at Sumi's sudden leave and just jumped up after her. Keigo gave Hao one last look before walking after Sumi with the twins trailing behind him. Everyone's faces were covered with surprised, but they all decided to turn and follow the group walking away from Hao. Liz gave Hao a lingering gaze with a pained expression and turned to leave, following the others.

"Gah!" Hao punched snow on the side and then pressed his fist to his forehead.

The atmosphere was tense and uneasy. "What were you doing Hao?" Lyserg finally asked, giving him a pitiful look, feeling uneasy himself.

Hao scratched his head. "I don't know!" He sighed. "Can someone tell me? I don't even know..."

HoroHoro scratched his head, looking down at the white snow beneath his feet, sighing. "Think about what you want first before you decide to break everyone down along with you in this messed up circle." He stated since he sensed everyone's overlapping confused vibes. _Man... I didn't noticed until now... I was too caught up in my own problems..._

_Messed up circle... I guess that's true..._ Lyserg would have smiled at HoroHoro's words, if it wasn't for the tense and serious atmosphere. _Sometimes HoroHoro surprises me too much..._

_He's right... _Hao stared at the group's retreating back. He saw Sumi at the front, walking a fast pace and Anna and Keigo trying to catch up to her. _What is it that I am doing?_

----------------

Liz was walking with her eyes staring at the snow. Her heart was tearing itself apart. She had ran up just in time to see Hao lean down to kiss Sumi. Her step-sister out of everyone else! If her heart could pop, it would have exploded that second. Keigo had dragged up Hao and socked him squarely in the face. She would have done the same, but for some reason her legs failed her and she couldn't move. She opened her mouth to yell, but no words came out, so in result, she did nothing but watched.

As she turned away, Hao didn't even run after her to try to explain what had happen. _What a jerk._ She pursed her lips. Oh how she wanted to cry right there and then, but she won't. They have been walking for awhile now and they haven't even slowed to a stop yet.

Sumi was leading the way with Anna, Keigo, and the twins following her. Kanna and the other girls were following Keigo, which led to the others following them and she didn't want to get left behind waiting for Hao, so she tailed after them. For some reason, everyone was silent cause they probably sensed the tension and didn't know what to say. Mari had stopped once in awhile though, to leave arrows and markings on trees. Probably to indicate to anyone that got lost or to let Hao know where they were heading.

Anna had heard some mumbling behind her and she peeked over her shoulder to see the twins urging Keigo forward to try to talk to Sumi, but he had shook his head as a response. Anna smirked, amused. Though Keigo was tough and rash, it seemed though, that he didn't know how to deal with girls, which gave Anna some comfort. Anna wanted to ask Sumi to stop and take a break, but she didn't know how to approach her. It seemed that it was better to just let her walk it off though she doubt that Sumi knew where she was leading them.

Liz sighed, her thoughts full of jumble. Suddenly she spotted some red splotches on the snow by their trail of footprints as she continued staring at the ground while she walked. Her surprised eyes followed the trail all the way to the front to where Sumi was walking. Keigo and the twins were mumbling to each other and Anna was watching them. No one seemed to noticed yet. Liz looked down once again. _Is it blood? Does she not notice? _Honestly, she had never faced any situation where someone got hurt physically and the thought made her shiver. Just to confirm, she stopped and knelt down to touch the red substance on the floor. "Hey!" She cried out. Sure, the thought of bleeding gave her goosebumps and maybe she does dislike Sumi, but she wasn't that heartless to let her continue bleeding.

Everyone stopped and turned to look at her. She was the first one to break the icy silence. Liz saw Sumi also stop and turned around to glance at her. Her face was pale and she could see that she was looking over to her with a concerned expression. _Damn... looking at you frustrates me..._ Liz blushed then stood up slowly, mumbling, but loud enough so that everyone can hear. "She's hurt..."

Liz could see Sumi's face go into surprise mode, but then when everyone turned towards her, she held up her hands and waved it in front of her, chuckling nervously, turning slightly to the side. "Who's hurt?"

Everyone seemed to notice the trail of blood on the ground as well did Sumi, which led up to her. "You. You idiot." Mika stated, covering her mouth with her hand. She also felt queasy thinking about blood. She had never faced dealing with injured people either, or rather, seriously bleeding injured people.

"Oh. Don't worry about it. I'll be okay. I'll do-" A hand went onto Sumi's shoulder and Keigo stared at her hard.

"Take care of it now. You're going to get sick or it's going to get worse." He firmly ordered.

Sumi opened her mouth again to protest, but decided against it. She nodded and Keigo seemed to relax. Turning to the others, he announced. "We're going to take a break here, so rest up for a bit guys."

Ren placed Pirika down, relieved. _Thank god. I thought Sumi was going to keep walking forever if she wasn't stopped._ He stretched his back.

"Sorry Ren, was I too heavy?" Pirika looked at him with worry. "Are you okay?"

"No, don't worry. I'm fine. Just need a break." Ren dropped to the snow, looking up at her. "Sit. Let me see your ankle." He reached for her hand and gave her a tug.

Pirika struggled hard to stay a normal color as her mind went blank and she just allowed herself to drop down beside him.

Yuna averted her attention away from them and headed to a comfortable spot to relax in. She sighed, pulling her legs close to her. She now looked for Anna, after all, she doubted that Ikuto's men were going to go home just yet. They were probably hiding amongst the trees, waiting for a chance for them to be alone. Speaking of which, she should warn Keigo. Sumi was hurt, so if she was ever alone, it would be easy prey. Anna being with her wouldn't make it any better either. It would be like killing two birds with one stone.

--------------

Sumi found herself staring at Keigo, who was cleaning the wound as she rested her back against the tree. Her shoulders sagged as she took a deep breath. _Damn... I'm troubling him... And it's scary...._ Her mind cried out as she noticed Keigo's tense expression and dark aura.

"Does it hurt?" Keigo asked, seeing her pale and troubled face.

"No..." She said quietly. She tore her eyes away from him to see Anna standing a few feet away conversing with Yoh.

"Can you not be reckless?" He asked as he kept his eyes on her leg. "You do know that you can possibly die from this right?" His voice drifted. "Theres so much blood..."

She gave him a weak smile. "I'm sorry." She held a hand up as if she was giving an oath. "I promise I won't do it again."

Keigo was holding the bandana covered in blood. His heart clenched. He didn't need to take a wild guess to know the bandana was Hao's. He had seen Hao wore it the day they were snowboarding. _What was Hao thinking?_ He frowned and then sighed as he removed his scarf. Wrapping it around her leg, he made sure it was firmly secure before standing up. Giving her a fast glance to make sure she was still alright, he looked behind Sumi at the twins. "Can you guys stay with her for a bit while I go get some water?"

The twins nodded and Keigo looked down at Sumi. "I'll be back." Seeing her also nod in reply, he headed towards the others, who were trying to now start a fire.

Takuya and Toshiro leaned around the tree to look down at Sumi. "It looks like Keigo is bothered by what happened earlier." Toshiro said.

Sumi was looking up at him before she turned and stood up.

"What are you doing?" Takuya asked, jumping towards her, arms out. "You should be resting."

Sumi placed a hand onto the tree to support herself. Her eyes flickered to the twins. "Does Keigo really not like Hao?" She asked curiously, thinking about the time she faced Ikuto with Keigo. Ikuto had said something about the Asakuras to Keigo.

Toshiro blinked. "Thats not true. Keigo doesn't hate Hao."

Takuya smiled. "Hao never did anything to Keigo, so why would he hate him?" He leaned in. "If anything, he would find him more of a rival."

What they were telling her weren't clicking about the Ikuto issue. "What abo-"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed." Toshiro cut in.

Seeing Sumi's quiet blank look, Takuya quickly pointed out. "Ever since you came, I've seen him do some random crap that I've never ever seen."

"I find him randomly singing to himself." Toshiro added. "And randomly dancing."

Takuya grinned. "I see him working harder in everything, including school. Which is weird."

"He would laugh more, especially at random things." Toshiro scratched his head. "Probably reminds him of you."

Sumi felt her heart suddenly begin to pound faster. She hadn't noticed, so she felt a little guilty. A pulse of numbness unexpectantly surged through her head for a second and she winced. Then it quickly faded, much to her relief.

"He fixes himself a little more. Uh, not that he didn't before, but he just cares a bit about how he looks when he sees you." Takuya's hand went onto her shoulder. He didn't see her wince in that split second, when both twins were looking at each other, sharing a secret fact.

"He becomes a little shy sometimes too. So it's surprising." Toshiro chuckled. "A lot of people noticed his change and asked us what was going on with him, especially the girls."

"So if you haven't noticed... Keigo likes you." Takuya said bluntly.

Sumi didn't know how to react. It was completely unexpected. She was trying to find out what was happening with Ikuto and Keigo, but totally stumbled on something else. Her head suddenly throbbed and she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. "Um..." She started, trying to ignore the pain and think of what to say. How were they expecting her to answer? "I..."

Takuya and Toshiro noticed that she paled even more. _Did she not like what she heard?_ Takuya glanced at his brother worried, who shared the same look. _Had they picked a bad time to tell her?_

"Are you okay?" Toshiro asked, concern beginning to show on his face as he saw her pressed her hand to her temple.

_This can't be happening now. They might misunderstand. _The thoughts ran through her mind as she saw whiteness beginning to cover her vision. "Um... actually..." She said faintly, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to trouble you guys for a bit." Her head felt really heavy.

Takuya barely had time to ask what she meant before he saw her head roll back and her legs gave out under her. He reacted by quickly scooping her off the floor before she hit the ground. He heard his other half sigh as he was examining the girl in his arms. Her lips were now turning blue, which probably wasn't a good sign.

--------------------

Keigo was walking towards the Hanagumi girls when he saw Hao and the others catch up to them. Hao's eyes made contact with his, but then he quickly turned away searching for his girlfriend. Keigo just ignored it and went to see if he could melt some snow for water. Approaching the blond-haired girl he believed was name Mari, he knelt down beside her.

Her attention turned to him. "What's up?"

"Mind if you guys help me start a fire so I can get some water?" He asked.

"Way ahead of you." She stated and pointed to Mika and Macchi who were returning with sticks. Surprised, he stood up. _Cool. They're good._ The previous day his group was having the hardest time getting the fire started. Rubbing two sticks together took forever.

Mika's eyes went wide when she saw Keigo's hand covered in blood. "Wah! You're bleeding."

Keigo turned his head towards her, away from Kanna, who had whipped out her lighter and in no time, had the fire going. "It's not my blood. Who was bleeding earlier?"

"Oh. But... that's gross." She shivered. It really did make her all squirmy. "I thought you were bleeding."

"Thanks for your concern." Keigo stuck his hand towards her. "Let's shake on it."

"Ew. No. Get that blood away from me." Mika struggled to hastily move away from him.

"Oh, so you don't like blood huh?" Keigo smirked, then turned to Kanna. "I think we should cam-"

Arms suddenly wrapped around his neck and a voice sounded by his ear. "Keigo!"

Keigo was thrown off by Yuna hugging him. The other girls were startled as well. "Yuna. What are you doing?" Keigo asked.

"I just realized how long I haven't seen you." She rested her head on his shoulder. "So I'm saying hi."

He raised his had to pull her arms off him, but he remember that blood covered his hand. "Hi Yuna. Now, can you let go? Otherwise you mght get blood on your arms."

"No. I don't care." She mumbled, still clinging on.

He sighed then grabbed some snow between his hands, melting it, and then proceeding to cleaning his hands with the snow. Yuna then murmured very quietly, almost inaudible. "Watch out for Anna and Sumi."

Keigo pulled Yuna's arms off him with his now cleaned hand. He stared at her for a second, but then just released her and threw the blood-drenched bandana into the fire.

"Do you guys need more firewood?" Lyserg approached them and offered. "We can get some for you."

"Sure. That would be great." Kanna answered, nodding. "Can you get some leaves too?"

"Yeah, of course."

HoroHoro stood next to him. "Thanks for volunteering me Lyserg. We just got here."

His friend laughed, pushing him away. "Let's just go HoroHoro. It doesn't hurt to help out a bit."

Mika leaned towards Keigo and Yuna. She was watching them with curiousity earlier because of their displayed affection. "So what's up with you guys? What's with the secrets? Something we should know?"

Yuna took this chance to swing an arm around Keigo's shoulders and spoke up before he could. "Sure. If you want to know, me and Keigo are going to be together in the future!"

Th other girls just stared. Mika choked out her next sentence in surprise at her remark. "R-really?"

"No." Keigo blandly said as he removed her arm from his shoulder with a stoic expression.

Yuna now put her hands on her hips. "That's what you think."

"It's what I know." He replied smoothly, matching her stare.

"Hey Keigo..."

Keigo turned towards the sound of his name. He saw the twins walking towards him with Takuya carrying Sumi in his arms. He quickly sprang to his feet, ignoring everyone else.

"What happened?" Yuna heard him ask as he darted towards them. _Don't worry. It's what I know too. _She watched them come closer towards their direction.

"It doesn't look like she was feeling well, so she passed out." Takuya answered, carefully setting her onto the ground, close by the fire.

Keigo removed his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Figured..." He zipped it up. "Damn, she's reckless..." He looked around for Anna and saw her coming towards them with Yoh, much to his comfort. _At least I know that he'll keep her safe._

-----------------

HoroHoro threw the pile of sticks and leaves down by the fire as he watched his little sister and Ren argue as Ren was tending to her ankle. _Since when were they so close?_ He thought as he eyed them, debating if he should go over there or not.

"Don't wear such a disgusted look." A voice beside him made him tear his eyes away from his sister and Ren.

"Oh was I?" HoroHoro rubbed his neck.

Lyserg chuckled as he added more sticks to the pile that HoroHoro threw down. "Protective brother aren't we?" And he laughed at HoroHoro's expression then added. "But, I'm glad that everyone's okay and that we're all together again."

HoroHoro nodded. "Hope Hao will be okay." He said as he glanced to the trees, where Hao went to talk to Liz.

His green-haired friend put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about him. I'm sure he can handle it."

"Yeah..." He ran his hand through his hair. _Things will get better..._ He assured himself. "I hope we can get out of these mountains soon."

"Me too." Lyserg agreed, watching the Hanagumi girls preparing for the night since they were doubting that they were going to go any further. _Man... these girls know survival..._

------------

Mika couldn't lie that her eyes kept going back to spy on Keigo because it was exactly what she was doing. He was keeping his eye on Sumi like no other. It was very sweet of him and it was the first time he had seen such an affectionate side of him up close.

Everyone had circled around the fire, seeing that they weren't going to go anywhere anytime soon. She silently counted everyone to past time. There were twenty of them there. Someone was bound to notice that there were twenty students missing. And especially notice if the Asakuras were missing.

She saw Liz and Hao sitting together. Mika guessed that after the afternoon drama with him and Sumi was explained and somehow she had forgiven him. If it was her, she wouldn't know how she'd handle it.

A few more minutes went by and she found her thoughts and sight wandering back to Keigo. _You see... What I said was right. Even if we want to be noticed, we aren't._ She was surprised at herself that she was no longer paying attention to the Asakuras or any of the other three guys that were usually around them.

"So what do you call a-" Chocolove was standing and speaking when a snowball hit him knocking him down.

"Ren! Don't do that to him!" Pirika shouted next to him. "I find his jokes to be pretty funny."

Ren stuttered in surprise. "W-what? You've got to be kidding me!"

A sparkling Chocolove suddenly floated beside Pirika. "R-really?"

Caught off guard, Pirika answered, voice filled with uneasiness. "Um... Yeah..."

"Whoo hoo!" Chocolove cheered as he ran around. "My will to live continues on!"

Ren threw another snowball, knocking him down once again. Turning to Pirika, he stated with his eyes glowing. "Don't encourage him Pirika."

"O-oh..." Pirika answered, blushing.

HoroHoro felt a vein twitch on his forehead. _My little sister is blushing... Sitting with my friend...._

"Breathe HoroHoro Breathe. Calm down." Lyserg said beside him, patting him on the back.

HoroHoro turned towards him with fire burning around him and his hair standing up. He smiled. "What are you talking about Lyserg? I am calm."

Lyserg felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he looked at HoroHoro wearing a freaky smile, trying to look calm. "Sure... Deep breaths HoroHoro. Take deep breaths."

He seemed to relax now as the tense atmosphere disappeared. HoroHoro raised an eyebrow at him. "Stop Lyserg. You make it sound as if I was pregnant."

"Haha. You were too tense." Lyserg pointed out. "Chill out my friend."

"Got it." HoroHoro laid down onto the snow and then in the next few seconds, he was snoring and fast asleep.

_I didn't say go to sleep... but I guess..._ Lyserg thought to himself, then looked at the sky. It was already dark and still, there was no signs of any search teams looking for them. He saw a speck of white come towards him and... _Oh man... Don't tell me..._

"Its snowing..." Jeanne sitting on his side muttered. "That can't be good."

"Hopefully, it won't be too bad." Tamao, who was on the other side of HoroHoro, said optimistically. The snow was falling slowly and gently. "It's pretty."

--------------------------

A few hours later, most of them were already quietly sleeping. The snow was still softly drifting down, so it didn't bother them. Yoh looked at Anna, who was sleeping on his shoulder and pushed a strand of hair off her face. They were talking for awhile and somewhere along the line, she gradually fell asleep. He was somewhat pleased that their relationship was getting better, especially during this trip.

"Stay close to her. It's dangerous out here."

Yoh heard Keigo's warning and saw him still awake and staring at the fire. "Did you find out who those people were?" It was the first time of that day that he spoke to Keigo.

He saw his head turned back and forth. "Didn't get a chance to ask her. But I have a feeling that they're still around."

"Aren't you cold?" Yoh asked, seeing his jacket wrapped around Sumi.

"I can bear with it. As long as she's okay."

Yoh saw Sumi shiver slightly and Keigo's eyes became alert, moving over to her. Keigo had cursed quietly and then lifted her to a sitting position. "Damn, I don't know what to do. I'm not a doctor."

_Man... He does care about her... _Yoh looked over to his twin brother, who seemed to be sleeping with an arm around Liz. _I wonder if Hao is seeing this..._

Keigo had sighed and removed his jacket around her and wrapped it on his shoulders, then pulled her into his lap, wrapping both of them with his jacket. "Sorry. I don't know what to do."

Sumi stirred and her eyes fluttered slightly open, turning her head to see Keigo's chin. Her head still felt really heavy, but she was able to guess that she was lying in his arms. "Keigo?" She murmured quietly.

"Did I wake you? Sorry. Go back to sleep." He whispered, heart pounding at her voice. He hoped that she didn't hear his rapidly beating heart.

Her eyes drifted back closed. She was too tired to argue or even notice what was happening.

Yoh smiled. He was glad that Keigo was there to actually care for Sumi. There was a lot of affection that he saw in his care, which was good. There was also a lot of things going on that he didn't understand. Like all the past events dealing with Anna. His mind went over her parent's car accident, the men breaking into her home, and maybe the street event with Keigo, but then again it might have been coincidental. He had talked to his grandparents about her parent's accident and it seemed, by the way they talked about it, that it was not just an accidental incident. He guessed by what he had heard that someone was trying to run her parents off the road. "Hey Keigo..."

The other boy looked over to him. "Hm?"

_Would he know if I tell him?_ _How does this connect together?_ Deciding against it, he just grinned. "You surprise me. What happened to the cool hard side of you?"

Keigo scoffed. "I thought you were going to say something serious, judging by your tone."

Yoh laughed. _I was..._ "So what's the story? I remembered you said once in the beginning of the school year that you knew her before."

Keigo was surprised that Yoh remembered and hesitated. He looked down at Sumi, glad to find her now in deep slumber. "So you know how you guys were childhood friends back in the day? I met her back then too..."

Yoh sounded stunned. "Really? Did we meet you too?"

His chuckle sounded slightly bitter to himself as he replied. "No. We were from different worlds. It was just coincidental that I met her." He didn't want to elaborate on what happened. It wasn't a happy memory. So he decided to cut it short. "Meeting her saved my life, but made her life..." He paused, trying to find the right word. "...tragic."

Yoh seemed to understand as he quickly caught on and asked. "So you met her mother too?"

"More or less." Keigo answered quietly. "We spent a week in the hospital together then afterwards I never saw them again. I owe them my life."

Yoh wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't want to pry. So he just absorbed the information that he heard. He'll figure it out later. Everything seemed to be connected to each other somehow. Maybe it'll help him figure it out.

Keigo had went silent and Yoh guessed that he was reminiscing his past because he had brought it up. Now after he heard a small part of his story, he was no longer suspicious of Keigo with ulterior intentions, especially since he'd seen recently how he treats Sumi. It was full of worry and care. He sighed, wondering if any of this was related to Anna. He was also aware that he was falling for the blond girl. He wasn't sure why, but he just wanted to be by her. Yoh looked at her peaceful sleeping face. _Who knew how aggressive she could be when she was awake?_ His heart fluttered as he smiled. _Who knew I was attracted to her?_

--------------------------

Love is strong yet delicate.

It can be broken.

To truly love is to understand this.

To be in love is to respect this


	20. Chapter 20

I'm alive. I know...

Sorry everyone. I couldn't log in for awhile. Originally, I was giving up this story and just post up all the chaps I wrote already... but right now I'm hesitating? haha But I think I might have to. So I'm apologizing first.

I seriously think that if I were to continue with this story, it would be like a Harry Potter series. There would be so many chapters. Lol. But I would like to thank everyone for their reviews. I don't check often, but it makes my day =) Thanks for reading!!!

I think I wrote this during the summer, but forgot to upload it. Soo... Sorry!!

Lol I went snowboarding yesterday and I'm so sore! I hit my head so my head hurts lol Not good.

* * *

.: So This is How it is:.

------

Tooya Yuu rubbed his head frustrated. It's been two days and still there was no sign of the twenty missing students. Not only that, but they weren't any students. They were the high-class rich sons and daughters of famous wealthy families. _They're going to have my head if I go back without them..._ He growled and threw his pillow against the wall.

"Are you okay Tooya?"

He looked at his door to find Hikari Hamasuki standing there looking worried. He sighed and laid back onto his bed. "Yeah. I'm fine."

She came in slowly and sat beside him on his bed. Placing a hand onto his knee, she tried to comfort him. "Don't worry. We'll find them soon. Tomorrow is another day. I'm sure we'll have better luck tomorrow."

He sat up. "What if-"

Hikari interrupted him before he could continue. "There are no what ifs. We will find them. Otherwise we aren't leaving."

Tooya scratched his neck and then leaned on his knees. _ I'm too young to end my career here. I hope she's right._ "Thanks Hikari."

She gave him a warm smile. "Always here to help."

He looked out his window. There was light falling snow, but nothing big. _I wonder if those kids can take care of themselves... especially knowing that they always have servants tending to their every needs... I hope we find them soon..._

---------------

"Man, they aren't ever going to be alone, especially with that big crowd." One of the men was peeking at the group of students with his binoculars from a distance.

One of the others smacked him on the back hard. "And who's fault was it when we almost got her?"

"Shoot. I'm sorry alright?"

"And now we have to be out here in the cold spying on them, when we could be home all warm and comfy."

"Sheesh. Don't be so bitter."

"Stop your yapping guys. How are we going to get anything done when all you guys is talk talk talk." Another voice came up behind them, annoyed. "Man, those stupid kids think they live forever huh? They risk their lives like nothing."

"Seriously. I was surprised at how much danger they put themselves in. I mean I looked down when they jumped and I almost pissed my pants."

"That's because you're a wuss."

"Am not! Watch what you're saying. I can own you up any day."

"Ooh, I'm so scared."

"Shut up both of you!" The third voice came back. "Get back to work. The boss wants results. Not what we almost did."

"Right..." Came the grim replies and silence was then in the air.

* * *

HoroHoro awoke to see the sky in his view, yawning he tried to sit up, but found himself unable to move. Confused and only half-awake he raised his head to see what was tying him down. He saw four heads resting on his chest and just closed his eyes resting back on the snow. A moment of realization then hit him and his eyes shot back open. "Hey! Get off me you guys! I'm not a stupid pillow!"

His shouting woke the sleeping students on him and they sat up rubbing their eyes and looking at him. "Yeah, you were the most uncomfortablest pillow ever." Lyserg yawned. _The snow stopped..._

HoroHoro pushed himself up and frowned. "That's because I'm not a pillow."

"Sorry for sleeping on you, but I thought you were comfortable." Jeanne grinned at him and he just scratched his neck in response. _What was he suppose to say to that?_

"I'm surprised that you didn't feel us." Tamao was smiling at him, a tint of pink covering her cheeks.

Lyserg now slapped HoroHoro's stomach. "That's because he has rock hard abs. I told you he wouldn't wake up."

HoroHoro pushed his friend's hand away and rolled his eyes. "Next time, I'm not falling asleep in front of you again."

Chocolove now bounced up cheerfully. "Rock Hard A-" What came next was not surprising. Snow flew into his face, interrupting him.

HoroHoro patted his hands together and stood up, looking around. Apparently his yelling had woke up the others as well. _Day three... I really want food... I'm so hungry for regular food..._ His stomach growled. "I'm tired. I'm wet. I'm sore. I'm cold. And I'm freaking hungry. Let's get out of here so I can eat."

* * *

Anna opened her eyes slowly to find herself resting on Yoh's shoulder. However she didn't shout or jump back as she had the day before. Instead, she just closed her eyes and continued laying there. She didn't mind spending time with Yoh honestly. In fact, she enjoys hearing his corny lines and seeing his laid back personality when she snaps at him. It really was weird how he could tolerate her. But then again, he was a weird one himself. She didn't think she would be able to tolerate herself if she had met someone like her.

Somehow, a little part of her was glad that Yoh convinced her father to make her come. Even though she had faced nothing but suffering, she was glad that Yoh was there to ease her suffering a bit. It made it more tolerable, and she didn't pay attention to it as much. She'd hate to admit it, but it was rather fun to be around him.

She felt a hand brush her face and then Yoh's voice sounding in her ears. "Hey Anna... It looks like everyone is getting up."

Anna reluctantly sat up straight and looked around, rubbing her eyes to clear her vision. Everyone was indeed up and stretching except for Keigo, who had his arms wrapped around Sumi, who was barely waking up. She'd never thought that it would ever cross her mind, but they were a pretty sweet scene to watch. Ignoring the glowering Hao of course.

"Let's go shall we?" Yoh asked, reaching his hand down towards her.

She grabbed it and he pulled her up. "Everyone wants to try to get back as soon as possible." He laughed. "We're all starving for some real food. I guess no one can take more than three days of being stuck outside of snow."

"Yeah, no kidding." She saw everyone getting ready to leave and stretched. Ren had picked up Pirika on his back and began following the others. "I guess we should get a move on. I'm getting pretty tired of this situation too. Can't wait to be warm." Anna saw Sumi arguing with Keigo about being able to walk herself now that she was better and just headed off after the others. She smirked as she saw Keigo just run up behind Sumi and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and ignoring her cries of putting her down. Anna laughed as she walked towards them.

Without warning, she found her feet lifting off the ground and she looked to the side to see Yoh. She glared. "What are you doing?" She demanded. "Put me down."

Yoh was just wearing his easy-going lopsided smile. "But Anna, I saw them doing it, so why not?" He ran after Keigo and Sumi, making Anna cling onto his neck to keep from falling.

"Stupid! Don't copy them! I'm not injured! They are!" Anna exclaimed, bewildered at his messed up logic. "So put me down you idiot!"

He just continued grinning at her. "I'm not copying them. Ren's giving a piggy back, Keigo looks like he's carrying a rice sack, and I'm carrying you bridal style."

Sumi was watching Anna and Yoh, who were walking behind them, and her eyes shrunk to dots. _Yoh called me a rice sack...._

Anna frowned becoming irritated. "Like I said, they are injured and I'm not, therefore I do-"

"Anna just work with me here. Plus it's less walking for you. Aren't you tired?" Yoh pointed out and Anna just went quiet. "And you know? You're not that heavy."

"And what happens if I get extremely big and round to the fact that you can no longer carry me?" Anna crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "Like right now."

"Well... if you do get extremely big and round... to the point where I can't carry you... right now..." His eyes seemed to laugh at her. "Then I'll get extremely big and round right now as well and we can roll home together!"

_What the hell... I can't get use to his strange lines..._ Anna's eyes had turned to slits hearing his response and then in front of them, she heard Keigo and Sumi burst into laughter. Her head had turned to them and she couldn't keep herself from turning red as Yoh also began to slightly chuckle.

Keigo had to put down Sumi, so he wouldn't drop her as he was laughing. The rest of the group had turned around and were now staring at them in confusion. Takuya and Toshiro smiled at each other. Keigo indeed did laugh more easier than he did before.

HoroHoro looked surprised to see Keigo laughing and scratched his head. "What's so funny?" It was his first time seeing him so relaxed and not so scary.

Keigo pointed at Yoh and Anna, struggling to speak between his laughter. "You guys..." He gasped for air. "should listen to their conversation." He chuckled some more. "It's so cheesy!"

"Why are you eavesdropping!?!" Anna shouted, red from embarassment.

Seeing that the others weren't going to understand what happened, Keigo just waved his hand forward as he laughed. "Keep going. Ignore us."

Turning to Anna as the others turned back towards the front. "Hey, you guys were walking behind us, so it's hard not to hear." He grinned then grabbed Sumi's arm when she tried to walk after the others. "Where do you think you're going Sumi?"

Anna was going to snap back at him, but seeing him turn his attention to Sumi, she decided not to interrupt and just watched.

"Look. I'm fine." She spun around. "I'm better so I can walk."

"You fainted yesteday." Keigo said, staring at her. She did look better though. There was color on her face again.

She held up a finger. "That was because I didn't realize that I lost a lot of blood."

_How can you not realize that you lost a lot of blood? _ His thoughts exclaimed, but he replied. "Alright, but stay close to me."

Sumi's face sparked up and a blissful smile formed on her face. There was a soft expression as she spoke to him. "And thanks Keigo... for taking care of me..."

Keigo looked off the the side trying not to look pleased and felt his heart rate suddenly increase. "Oh... no problem."

Anna was wearing a smug look as she noted Keigo's bashfulness. It was a scene that she'd never thought she'd get to see up close. She looked at Yoh, he also had on the same expression that she predicted was on her face. Realization hit her that Sumi was free to walk on her own and she poked his chest. "You can put me down now. There's absolutely no reason to carry me now. If she gets to walk, so do I. Plus I need to warm up and exercise."

"Fine...fine..." Yoh finally gave in, turning her so her feet touched the ground. "I guess."

Anna was relieved to find her feet back on the ground and she looked up to see Sumi looking at her. "What's with that look?"

An amused giggle escaped her lips as she teased Anna. "What happens if I get extremely big and round to the fact-"

She felt the blood rush up to her face once again and shouted before Sumi could finish. "Do you want to die?!?"

Sumi gave a yelp and sprinted after the group with Anna on her tail, yelling out threats.

Yoh chuckled and looked at Keigo, who gave him a shrug, then both of them jogged after them. Yeah, things were starting to look up for him.

* * *

Jeanne looked on ahead as she walked. She was rather disappointed that nothing had occured between her and Lyserg to improve their relationship like Anna and Yoh, but it was still fine. She gave him a quick glance on her left side. At least they could walk side by side as friends right now. As for more, she could wait forever for him if he wanted her to. She didn't mind.

Anna's yelling was heard as she turned her head to see Sumi being chased by Anna. Sumi was laughing and Anna was shouting threats of ways to murder her as they ran and weaved through everyone. Sumi ran in front of her and without warning, she saw Lyserg's hand shot out and grabbed Sumi's arm.

Sumi's face was stunned as she was stopped. Jeanne was thrown off as well. The whole place seemed to freeze as Lyserg held up Sumi's arm and he stared at her intensely, not muttering a single word. Sumi's eyes were big with surprise and Anna stopped, wondering what was happening as she stared curiously. The vibe was strange.

Jeanne counted a total of five seconds before his eyes dropped his intense gaze and he muttered sorry as he dropped her arm and walked on. Everything seemed to resume afterwards as if it had never happened.

Sumi just stood there looking after him, holding her wrist. _W-what... was... that?_ She asked herself. _Did I do something wrong?_

Anna approached her and Sumi gave Anna a bewildered look. Anna frowned, she didn't get it either. _What was up with these guys? I don't get them..._

Keigo and Yoh finally reached them. "Are you okay?" Keigo asked quickly, gently taking Sumi's hand. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

"What?" Sumi sounded surprised. "No. Of course not." The idea of Lyserg hurting her never even crossed her mind. What she was wondering was what was up with that look he gave her. "I'm fine. Thanks." She smiled to reassure him and walked after Anna, who had began walking again.

Yoh was standing next to Keigo, also watching them. "Don't worry. He won't do anything to her if that's what you were thinking. I think... all that was... was some..." Yoh's voice drifted off. "Unexpected... contained burst of emotion..."

_Competition... What did I expect?_ Keigo sighed. _The only person unaware of this would be Sumi. The one and only Sumi._

------------

"Hurry. What should we do?"

"Let's get her before they get to them."

"No. Think this through. Don't be rash. You're outnumbered."

"Boss wants results right? If we waste so much time thinking, nothing gets done."

"..."

"Then go for it. Let's see if you get results."

"I-I'm not guaranteeing results. I'm just saying something will be done."

"Then go. You have about ten minutes before the rescue team finds them."

----------------

There was a peaceful gust of wind as them tracked through the snow with the thought of delicious food keeping them going. To be honest, all of them were really tired from walking. They didn't have as much energy as they did in the beginning of their stranded journey. They're weary eyes spotted a man in a black suit up ahead, blocking their paths. They stopped, remembering the guys chasing Sumi and Hao. Surprised were written all over everyone's faces as they all looked at each other.

Keigo looked to find Sumi still alright and standing amongst the group. Anna was standing a little in front of her, but otherwise, they were still alright. Yuna gritted her teeth. _They are approaching us in the open?_

Kanna spoke first. "What do you want? We know you aren't here to help us." Her eyes flickering back and forth for any sudden attacks.

Hao looked at the man suspiciously. _Where were the other two?_

The man in front slowly held up his weapon, pointing it at Kanna, who took a step back. "Cooperate with us and no one gets hurt."

Yoh moved forward. He had to get the danger away from the girls. There was only one of them so far. _Where were the other two?_

A snap was heard on his side. "No one moves. Don't make things more troublesome."

"Look. We're all tired, sore, and hungry, so give us a break. Why are you guys attacking twenty unarmed students?" Mika demanded and before she could even blink, the man was at her side pointing his weapon at her.

_Damn... _Yoh froze when he saw the frightened look on Mika, who was the closest to him. He closed his eyes, trying to plan it out in his head. _Let's see..._ _Hao is closest to the Hanagumi... There are ten girls and ten guys. There are three guys in black suits. Two are in the open. Third one is MIA._ Yoh's eyes snapped back open when he heard the man spoke.

"Anna Kyoyama. Please come forward and everything will be fine."

_Anna!_ His head screamed out and his eyes urgently darted towards her to see her scowling. Yoh took a deep breath as he watch her hesitate then slowly made her way towards Mika and the man. If they attacked the two men at once, then they could possibly be okay. But what about the third? His eyes flicked to Keigo, who was tense, and saw him catch his look. The third was bound to come out when he sees his two companions in trouble.

Yoh couldn't think clearly as his head kept shouting Anna. Not being able to hold back, Yoh made a grab his weapon as he zipped to Mika and the man's side.

"I said don't move!" The other man pointing his gun at Kanna shouted and was about to fire his gun, but Hao, seeing his brother move, had no choice but to move as well. He kicked hard at the man's wrist, sending his gun flying into the air. Then HoroHoro and Lyserg sprung onto him, holding him down.

Hao rubbed his nose and smirked. "All those years of karate were well worth it." He looked over to his brother.

Yoh had struggled against the man for the gun, but his release was when Anna kicked him squarely in the stomach. The gun dropped to the floor and the twins, Ryo, and Chocolove dog-piled him to hold him down. A gun shot was heard behind him and his eyes flew backwards to see Keigo with the third man.

Luckily, Keigo had pushed the man's arm up and he shot nothing but air, otherwise it would have been a different story. Keigo punched him down and the roles were reversed. The man laid on the ground with Keigo pointing the gun at him, breathing heavily. "Tell him, to not interfere with our lives." Keigo muttered, then lowered the gun.

"Stupid kids. You don't know what you're dealing with."

There were noise coming towards them and they looked towards the sound. The man on the floor, sneered and took the chance to get away. The other man somehow erupted out of the dog-pile and ran after his comrade into the forest. The first man had kicked back HoroHoro and Lyserg, breaking free of their hold. He gave one last glare then escaped as well. No one ran after them. They didn't want to risk themselves in unecessary danger.

As the sound came closer, Mika threw her arms around Anna, crying. "Sorry Anna. I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "I will never treat you wrong again. If I was you, I wouldn't care about the one that made my life miserable. I would..." Her words became incomprehensible mumbling as she continued sobbing into Anna's shoulder.

"It's okay... It's okay." Anna was patting her back as she hugged her back, trying to calm her down, as she found the unexpected affection uncomfortable.

Yoh just let out a relieved sigh. Glad that no one was hurt. Yoh looked at Keigo, who was looking after the three disappearing men. _Did Keigo know who they were?_ _Who is 'him'?_ He questioned, remembering clearly what Keigo said.

The rescue team finally arrived a few seconds later and everyone was glad to be able to get back to their normal lives as they made their way down the mountain back to the resort.

----------

-----

Anna came out of the shower feeling refreshed. She rubbed the towel to her head. Earlier when they got back, there was the most biggest ruckus. She was glad though that their teachers didn't let the whole world know that they were missing. At least the news crew didn't show up. She didn't want her father to worry, but there was something that she was getting more concerned about. "You can use the shower now Jeanne."

Jeanne grinned at her and grabbed her things. "Thanks."

Anna smiled back and let Jeanne pass her. She made her way to the window. Staring out at the white snow, she couldn't believe that she'd spent three days out in the wilderness. Anna walked to her door and opened to exit. What she wanted to know was why those men wanted her._ Why did they call out my name? I think they have something to do with those men breaking into my home. Something is going on._

She looked down the hall on her right then to her left. She was surprised to see Hao walking down the girls' hall, but then again she wasn't. She watched his backside as he stopped in front of Yuna and Sumi's room. He paused holding his hand up, about to knock. It seemed that he was hesitating, then finally he rapped his knuckles against the door. A few seconds later, the door opened and he disappeared inside.

_Hmm... I hope Hao doesn't make things too complicated... _Anna turned to her door and reentered her room. They had three more days of their vacation trip there, so it wasn't entirely gone. She had three more days to enjoy whatever that was left. At least she knew that when she goes back that Mika wasn't going to bother her anymore. School might actually be more enjoyable.

She relaxed onto her bed. _Hurry Jeanne... I can't wait to eat..._

* * *

Yuna opened the door to see Hao standing there wearing a hesitating expression. She leaned against the door frame. "Yes Hao?"

"Hey Yuna. Is Sumi there?" Hao asked staring at her.

She pushed the door open wider. "Yeah. She's in the shower though. You can wait for her if you want."

Hao nodded and followed her as she walked back into her room. He closed the door behind him and just went over to one of the beds and sat on it. "Hey Yuna..."

"Hmm?" She answered as she gathered her things to shower.

"You know what happened earlier? With those guys?" He looked at her. "Were they related to Ikuto?"

Yuna didn't answer immediately. "Why? Why should I tell you anything?" Her voice sounded annoyed.

"If you don't, I'll tell Ren your secret." Hao smirked. "The twisted secret."

Yuna growled, glaring at him. _He's still the same inconsiderate selfish jerk._ _How did I ever like him?_ Hao had accidentally stumbled onto her secret way back in the past when she went out with him before she met Ren.

Ren knew that she went out with Hao before and that their relationship only lasted one week before they broke apart. Hao had told Ren before Ren and Yuna went out so there wouldn't be any future misunderstanding and surprisingly Ren took it pretty well. Ren had said that her past didn't matter to him, but what they didn't know was that _she_ went into the relationship with Ren with no intention of falling in love with him.

However, Ikuto never knew that she had dated Hao and she planned on taking that secret to the grave with her. She shivered at the fact of him finding out. It was a really short relationship anyways. She had convinced Hao that she was deeply in love with Ren when he found out that Ren was interested in her. Hao had _disliked_ the idea of them being together, but decided to let her do things her way and promised to never tell anyone. And to her surprise, so far, he kept up with keeping her secrecy.

"You better not tell anyone." Yuna hissed, her voice covered with warning. She sat on her bed with a frown. "Are you still going through girls like nothing? I'm rather surprised that you still have your girlfriend. I was so sure she would have dumped you by now."

Hao feigned hurt. "I don't get dumped by girls. I dump girls in case you have forgotten."

Yuna rolled her eyes. _Still cocky as always. How does his girlfriend deal with this?_

"Oh..." Hao started. "I realized something interesting that might also relate to you... but it's just an assumption." He informed, a hint of worry hidden in his tone. "I think Ikuto might know this too and is probably after him, probably because of the same reason why he has you." His eyes bore into Yuna. "He has the same secret as you."

Yuna's eyes widened and she looked at him. "What? Who is it?" Yuna gripped her fist tighter. _That stupid man..._

Hao shook his head. "I can't tell you because it's just my assumption..." He paused. "Yuna," His eyes were filled with concern. "Won't you leave Ikuto? Get away from him please. It's dangerous. There isn't going to be a good outcome. Please don't hurt Ren again."

Sometimes she could see how nice Hao actually was. That he cared about other people other than himself. And she appreciated it, but still, she was a lot different than him. Her heart throbbed. _Honestly I don't want to anymore, but I'm in too deep to escape. I don't want to hurt Ren. Plus.. I still owe Ikuto too much..._ Yuna sighed. "I don't want to hurt Ren. But I can't leave. I owe Ikuto my life. You don't understand."

Hao frowned. "If you need any help, remember that you can always contact me. Even though I disliked you for tearing Ren apart, I still want you to get away from him." Hao scratched his head. "Plus you still didn't answer my question."

Yuna hesitated, then answered. "About those men... Yes... They were related to Ikuto."

His brows furrowed. "Why were they after Anna?"

"I don't know. It's all part of Ikuto's complicated plan. He doesn't tell me everything because he doesn't trust me enough." Yuna said exasperated.

She heard the water turn off and then she asked, interrupting Hao's concentrated face. "Are you talking to Sumi about what happened?"

Hao looked surprised and scratched his head. "Oh, yeah." He had almost forgot, thinking too much about the Ikuto issue.

"How did your girlfriend handle it?"

He sighed, not so estatic about the topic of the conversation. "She listened to my lame excuses and didn't say much about it. I don't think she wants to break up with me so she's basically ignoring everything that I'm doing wrong."

"And why aren't you breaking up with her? Usually you would be in and out with girls in no time." Yuna raised her eyebrow. Now this was strange.

Hao shrugged. "I don't know."

Yuna looked at the bathroom door, trying to piece together his thinking. "And what's up with her?"

Hao shrugged again. "I don't know."

_Now this is really weird for Hao. I've never seen him hesitate about girls before..._ Yuna secretly grinned to herself. _Maybe he's now suffering... He deserves it..._ When she was with Ren, she had seen him changed girls like no other and none of them had stayed very long either. By far from what she heard, this relationship was probably the longest that Hao has ever had in his life. "Well good luck. From what I saw these last few days, I would say that she's taken."

She saw Hao glower at her words and she stood up. Maybe that was what Hao wanted. Something that he can't have. Yuna saw the door open and Sumi walked out grinning.

"Oh man, that was good. Your turn Yuna." She said as she dried her hair with a towel.

Yuna walked past Sumi entering the restroom, saying. "She's all yours."

Sumi then realized that Hao was in the room when he stood up looking at her. The door shut behind her and she was left staring at Hao. "Oh... hi Hao." She greeted.

"Hey... How's your leg?" Hao replied and scratched his head. What should he say?

"Alright. It doesn't even hurt that much anymore cause of the stuff I put on it. Good thing I didn't break anything." Sumi gave a small smile as she leaned against the wall. "What's up? Everything okay?"

Hao took a step towards her, still scratching his head. Her smile covered everything. "Um... I just wanted to say sorry... about yesterday..." His voice drifted.

"Oh... " Sumi's arm dropped to her side, holding her towel. She was thinking of a way to say something comforting about the incident. 'It's okay' didn't seem to cut it.

"I honestly didn't know what was I doing..."

"Oh..." It was all she could think of to say.

"It was unexpecting of me to do that to you... so..." Hao took another step towards her and placed his hands against the wall, looking at Sumi squarely in the eye. He caught a whiff of the shampoo that she used. "I... think..." He looked at the ground. What was it that he wanted? He should have thought this over before he came to talk to her about this.

"Don't worry. I'll forget that it ever happened."

Hao's head lifted back up to look at her. She was giving him a comforting look with her damp hair wrapped around one side of her ear. He could see the earrings on her two piercings glittering at him.

"You're worrying that I might think about it too much right? Don't worry. I'll just pretend it never happened so we can go on like normal. It won't affect our friendship." Sumi put a finger up to her cheek, speaking in a thoughtful tone. "Plus if I think about it, if I was a guy and was in that position, I might also have not been able to control myself."

_This girl..._ Was this what should happen? Did he want her to just forget everything? Was it better this way? Hao stared at her. His thoughts were in a jumble.

There was a long pause. "I..." He couldn't think because his heart was confusing him, especially when he heard her words. His elbows bended and found his lips pressed against hers once again. Her lips were soft and she tasted sweet. He kissed her softly then slowly began kissing her passionately, but he felt her hands against his shoulders and pushed him back.

"Hao..." Her big eyes were confused, angry, frightened, and disappointed as she stared back at him, holding him by the shoulders to keep their distance. The towel just lied on the floor, forgottened. Sumi's heart was jumping, afraid of the worse. "Don't hurt Liz." Her voice shooked and she was completely thrown off by his actions. "I let you slide the first time, but it doesn't mean you can do it again."

_So this is how it is..._ His heart throbbed as he stood up straight to rub his neck. Her expression was still there and he couldn't shake off his guilty feeling like he usually could with other girls. He mumbled softly. "Sorry..." So this was what rejection felt like. His feelings made more sense to him now after hearing her other line. He was still with Liz because Sumi didn't want him to hurt her. And more or less, he had wanted to be close to Sumi by being close to Liz. Well, it was how he was deciphering his feelings so far. Hao took a deep breath. The look on Sumi's face was painful. _This was probably how she looked like the first time... Disappointment.. She probably hates me now..._

Sumi bit her lower lip to keep it from shaking. Deciding that she couldn't take the awkwardness for more than three seconds after his apology, she turned and headed towards the door.

Hao opened his mouth to call out to her, but his voice didn't come. He also didn't know what to say to her, so he just watched her leave. He exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair frustrated and agitated.

Yuna then opened the bathroom door and walked out. She looked surprised to see him alone. "Where's Sumi?"

His response wasn't fast. "She went out." Hao muttered, as he dropped himself onto her bed. He didn't want Sumi to completely fade from his life yet. Not with his confused feelings right now. He needed to figure it out first before things started changing on him. Putting both hands on his head, he looked at Yuna. "Hurry Yuna, so we can go eat."

Yuna turned her head to look at Hao. He was wearing a bored expression, but she noticed in his eyes that it looked pained. _Hmm... I wonder what happened..._ "Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute. The food isn't going anywhere."

* * *

"Doesn't HoroHoro look barbaric?" Anna pointed out as she watched HoroHoro devour plates of food. "What happened to proper etiquettes?"

"HoroHoro. Don't eat that much... You're going to get a stomache..." Tamao said beside her, but HoroHoro didn't even slow down.

Anna shook her head and took a spoonful of soup. "Don't bother, Tamao. He'll feel it later."

"Oh..." She grabbed a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly, sweatdropping at HoroHoro's food rampage.

Anna glanced at Sumi, who was eating with the most distracted expression. She scanned for Jeanne, but found her gone. Anna slurped her soup, pondering. Surely she had saw her a few minutes before at the table.

"Anna, I got you some strawberries." She blinked at the plate of fruit shoved in her face then glanced up.

Yoh was holding it out to her with that never fazing smile of his. Sticking the spoon in her mouth, she just took it. "Fangphs."

"No problem!" He replied merrily and just pulled a chair out, about to sit beside Sumi. However, Sumi just slid over into the chair he pulled out and indicated for him to sit in hers.

There was a sign of unexpectedness, but he simply recovered and nodded, sliding into her chair. He placed both elbows on the table and leaned onto his hands, staring at Anna across from him.

She stopped midway, her spoon hanging in midair. "What?" It was irritating and intimidating for her to know that he was watching her eat. "Where's your food?"

"I already ate before you got here." Yoh answered, letting one arm rest on the table.

She just brought the soup to her face and sipped it. Unable to ignore him, she demanded. "Can you not just watch me? It's bugging the crap out of me."

"Haha." He chortled and then grabbed a strawberry, taking a bite out of it. "Better?"

Anna rolled her eyes, asking crossly. "You don't have anything else better to do?"

"I find this very entertaining." He said, continuing to nibble at the strawberry.

"Yoh Asakura! Stop being all love-struck to **MY** Anna Kyoyama! She does not need you to dull her senses of my sparkly self!" Chocolove had turned Yoh's chair and pointed at him, threateningly, but not looking so threatening.

Yoh was looking at the 'sparkly' Chocolove with amusement. "Well..."

Ren glared at Chocolove and asked, stopping Yoh before he had a chance to speak. "Since when was she your Anna?"

"Ever since I came into her life, Dur!"

"Hahaha. You must be living on another planet then." Ren harshly laughed and added, his voice sounding a bit hard. "If you haven't noticed, Yoh was there before you."

"So what? Yoh's just a booger in her eye!" Chocolove shouted.

"If I was a booger... then I hope Anna picks me first!" Yoh said happily and laughing.

Everyone around them sweatdropped. Ren stood up, walked over to Yoh and smacked him on the head, as he pointed at Chocolove, who was on the floor. "Don't let Chocolove influence you! What exactly are you saying?"

A dark aura surround Chocolove as he was kneeling down on the floor with his head hanging in despair. "Why.... Why?" He cried out. "Why didn't I think of that first?"

Anna finished her soup and picking up the other plates of her food, she stood up. _These idiots..._ She thought as they continued arguing, not noticing her moving to a different table. _Damn, they're so loud..._ She was irritated at them disturbing her dinner. But also in fact, she had to move in order to hide her blush. She thought that what Yoh said was rather cute... Weird... but nonetheless still cute...

She took a bite of her bread, chewing with frustration. _Arg! _These feelings... were now bothering her... It was totally ruining the way how her mind works. Everytime she was with Yoh, she felt like she walked and talked on the same plane as him. _Being around Yoh too much probably influenced me to sink to his level of stupidness... I even thought what he said was cute... Even though it sounded so ridiculously lame... _Anna growled as she took another bite. _Damn... When did I become so hopelessly idiotic like this?... Great... What happened to __**the**__ Anna Kyoyama?..._

-----------------

Jeanne looked at Lyserg's backside as she walked outside, hesitating if she should join him or not. _This is the first time that I want something for myself... I should work at it... No matter how long it takes me..._ Gathering up courage, she approached her bench and sat down next to him. "Ah! It was good to eat normal food!"

Lyserg looked surprised to see her. "Oh... Are you done already Jeanne?"

She nodded. "Yup!" She saw him lean back against the bench. "What are you doing out here?"

"Fresh air." He replied. "I think I got use to breathing outdoor air cause we were outside for too long."

"Oh." Jeanne stared at the sky. _I wonder what he's thinking..._ "Live life to the fullest. Don't be scared and don't regret things. You'll realize how much other things you'll miss if you continue hiding." She quoted and Lyserg slowly turned his head towards her. A grin crossed her face. "I'm living with no regrets Lyserg."

He returned a faint smile back to her. "I'm glad."

"So..." She looked at him hesitating as her mind debated. _Should I do it? Ah! Don't think about Jeanne!_ "I want to make a bet..."

"Huh? About what?"

Jeanne gave a firm determined look. "To make you fall for me." A bewildered expression covered Lyserg's face as he was caught off guard, but she continued. "If you fall for me within five months, please give me a chance. If you don't by that time, then I'll..." She hesitated saying this line. "Just give up on you."

Lyserg stared and sighed inwardly. _She's trying hard... I'll be cruel if I don't give her a chance..._ "Deal... but there are no guarantees that things go your way." Lyserg said. "You have to promise me though... that you won't let me hurt you." He gave her a gentle look.

Jeanne felt herself bubble at the chance. _He agreed!_ She nodded excitedly, not able to contain her happiness. _I'll make him see all my good points! I'm not going to lose! I have to take this chance to make it the best!_

He watched Jeanne beam with joy. He might as well try this out since he wasn't going to even try to compete with Hao and Keigo. He might as well let her be happy and have some happy memories. It couldn't be that bad. It'll also give him something to think about. _I hope this is okay..._

* * *

Anna just crossed her arms and waited as Mr. Yuu began calling out names to pair up for partners. It had been like this for the past two days. They had been refrained to group activities and 'safer' fun as Mr. Yuu had called it. He didn't want to risk the chances of any of the students becoming lost or injured after what happened to them so she didn't blame him. Not that any of them mind staying indoors, they were all pretty worn out from their adventure. Only HoroHoro was bummed out that they weren't allowed to see any more of the powdery snow sailing beneath their feet.

On the other hand, the activities that Mr. Yuu and Ms. Hamasuki had them do wasn't that bad and she actually thought it was pretty fun to interact with the other students, especially since their partners kept switching. Today was the last day, so tonight, they would say goodbye to the resort and head back home.

Anna sighed as looked at Yoh, who was waving at her. She was assigned as his partner for a game that Mr. Yuu had called 'Birdie on a Perch.' It actually seemed kind of fun when he was explaining it.

"May I please be excused?" Sumi stood up, bowing as she gave an apologetic look at the teacher because he was in the middle of calling her name.

Mr. Yuu gave her a worried look. "Is something wrong?"

Anna watched Sumi shake her head. "No sir, I just think I need to lie down."

"Alright then." Mr. Yuu nodded and looked back down at his list. "Hao Asakura. Your partner will be Yuna then."

Hao nodded and frowned. Was it a coincidence? Or was Sumi still avoiding him? He had noticed her keeping her distance from him for the past two days, but she was a master at hiding her emotions so he wasn't exactly sure. Though it wasn't obvious, it was beginning to bother him. He stood up instictively, interrupting the teacher. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom." Without waiting for a response, he darted towards the halls.

Yoh spotted both Liz and Keigo looking towards the direction that Hao went and sighed. Keigo was wearing a frown, while Liz, on the otherhand looked heartbrokened.

Liz watched her boyfriend disappear from her sight as her chest ached painfully. Why was she putting up with this? She didn't know herself, but she knew where Hao was going. How long was she going to keep up with this? She sighed to herself. The real question should be how long would she able to last?

Hao spotted Sumi ahead of him and ran in front of her. Stopping, he turned and faced her. He could see her surprised and panic look for a second before she recovered, masking all evidence like always. _As expected from a former actress._ "Are you not feeling well? Does your leg hurt?"

"I just need to lie down." Sumi said collectively as she made her way around him.

Hao hesitated for a second, then grabbed her arm. "Sumi, stop avoiding me. Don't think I haven't noticed."

She didn't respond, only tried to free her arm from his grasp by pulling back her arm.

He felt frustrated. "What? It was only a kiss. So what?" He pulled her closer roughly. "You don't need to act like this."

She stopped wiggling, seeing that it was futile and just met his eyes. "Stupid. I understand if it was an accident. I understand if it was like Ren, to protect me. But," She glared, her voice firm. "You are doing it on purpose. It wasn't even out of love. It was taking advantage of me. You are just hurting everyone by doing what you want."

It was his turn to be silent as he found his words stuck in this throat.

Sumi sighed, feeling guilty, then gently pulled her wrist out of his hand. "Sorry Hao... I know you aren't a bad person... But I really don't want you to hurt Liz... She's been through a lot..."

_What about you? _His mind asked, but he said as he saw her begin to turn away. "Wait..." He stuffed his hands into his pocket. "If it never happened, would things go back to normal between us? If I promise that I won't hurt your sister, would you still talk to me? If I say I'm sorry, would you forget what happened?"

She managed a smirk. "That's a lot ifs... Are you going to turn back time?" She raised her brow, but just asked again with a sigh. "Do you want me to forget what happened?"

"Yeah, please forget what happened. I don't want it to be awkward between us. We always see each other..." He forced a smile. "It was one of those moments, so forgive me yeah?"

Sumi seemed to relax a bit as she smiled back at him. "I suppose you're right..." _We do have the same friends and that's hard to avoid... _She sighed again inwardly. _Note to self: Don't ever get into that position again..._

"Yeah... Still friends?"

"Yeah... It better not happen again..."

Hao looked at the ground, then gave her a sly look. "Don't take it to heart. I don't want you to fall for me."

Sumi met his gaze evenly. "That'll only happen when the world starts spinning the other way."

He smirked at her response as she walked away and replied quietly. "That's wonderful then..."

* * *

Anna sat in the charter bus, staring out the window at the white snow as they pulled away from the resort. There goes one week of their winter break. At least they still had one more week before school resumed.

"La, la, la, la-la-la, la..."

She turned towards the sound beside her to see Yoh, singing with his headphones on. He noticed her looking and pulled it off his ears, smiling at her. "Hi Anna."

The familiar annoyed expression crossed her face. In the background, she could hear Chocolove trying to tell knock-knock jokes. "You sing like a banshee." She stated and her attention returned back to the window.

Yoh's laugh rang in her ears. "Of course! Compared to your singing Anna."

Anna rolled her eyes. His voice actually wasn't bad. It had a nice tenor tone. She turned back to him, opening her mouth to snap back a snide comment. However, her voice was droned out by the blaring microphone at the front of the bus.

"Hello class." Mr. Yuu waved to the bus of students. "I hoped you all enjoyed the trip! It was fun wasn't it?" Excited cheers came back as response.

"Let me say this straight out to the point. For the ride back, whoever can tell me the best answer will get an A for our next project," said Mr. Yuu, who was smiling mischieviously. Another round of cheers went through the bus. "What I want... is for you to tell me about oranges." Blank stares and silence greeted him. "Whoever explains it the best by the time we reach the end of our destination will get the prize. So think carefully because I will not answer any questions." The class stared at him in utter confusion and he could hear the mass murmurs.

"Talk about oranges?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"What does he want to know about oranges?"

"I want that A though."

Ms. Hamasuki smiled at Mr. Yuu, who was still standing up, waiting for any daring answers. She didn't get what he was doing with oranges, but it wasn't a bad idea to keep the students from causing trouble. "Tooya." She called out to him and he turned to look at her with a secretive smile. "What is it about oranges?"

He winked at her, making her struggle to hide a blush. "It's a secret. You can guess too."

She replied, not comprehending. "You're talking about the fruit right?"

He chuckled and pulled out an orange. Turning to the class, he said, "In case I wasn't clear, I am talking about the fruit. Perhaps this visual aid, may help you come to your answer everyone." He held the orange up on the tip of his fingers.

Anna saw Yoh's face lit up at the sight of the fruit and she rolled her eyes at his reaction. She spotted Chocolove fidgeting as he was sitting beside Ryo and behind Ren and HoroHoro.

"I know!" Chocolove shouted and suddenly stood up, pointing at Mr. Yuu, who smirking at his enthusiasm. "Knock-Knock!"

He was now bewildered by the student's action, but decided to play along with it. He responded, unsure if it was the answer that Chocolove wanted. "Who's there?"

"Orange!"

"Uh... Orange who?"

"Orange you glad-" A pillow smacked into his face, cutting him off. What did you expect?

Ren was standing up riled and clearly irritated. "Stop wasting his time with your knock-knock jokes! I don't think that was the answer he wanted to hear."

HoroHoro looked at Chocolove behind him. "Apologize." He commanded.

Chocolove just rubbed his nose, making a face, but smiled and scratched his neck. "Sorry Mr. Yuu! I thought it was pretty funny! I just wanted to lighten up the mood some more! Not that the mood wasn't light or anything. But I wanted to make you laugh!" He said laughing as he struggled to make up a understandable reason until Ryo pulled him down in embarassment.

Mr. Yuu just smiled. "It's okay. Any other answers? Take your time. You have until the end of the bus ride to answer."

"Any of several citrus trees having white flowers and round, reddish-yellow fruit." A student answered a little later.

"The sectioned pulpy fruit of an orange, having sweetish acidic juice." Another one stated.

"It is Yoh's favorite fruit!" Yoh shouted pointing at the produce that the teacher was holding.

Ren smacked his head with his hand upon hearing Yoh's response. "What happened to my friends? Why are they so idiotic?" He muttered to himself as he gave a glance to HoroHoro with the corners of his eyes. HoroHoro stood up and began naming the types of food, drinks, and desserts that oranges could be used in after Yoh had answered.

Jeanne had drew a detailed picture of an orange and held it up for the teacher to see, whereas Lyserg had explained the origin of the orange.

A few others began pointing out where oranges were currently being produced, what marketing uses they were being used for, the companies that they were used as logos, the different interpretations of the structure of the orange, the formation and growth of the fruit, and even how an orange smelt like.

Some even told poems and stories involving oranges. Mr. Yuu just chuckled at all the information he was gathering about the fruit he was holding in his hands. _They're overthinking it..._

It was nearing the end of the ride and Mr. Yuu listened as a student explained how to use an orange as self defense. He still hadn't faced the answer that he wanted, but then again he didn't expect it. It was just to keep them busy thinking during the long ride. "Any other answers? We're almost back."

Anna had sweatdropped, seeing how excited Yoh was listening to all the information about oranges. Exhaling, she just stood up and walked up to the teacher, who was giving her a confused look at her approach. The class was silent as they watched her, wondering what she was up to. "May I help you Ms. Kyoyama?" Mr. Yuu asked.

Anna just quietly snatched the orange from his hand and began peeling it. She got a slice of the orange and stuck it into the teacher's mouth. Anna placed the orange back into his hand then walked to her seat. The class gasped at the slaughtered orange and looked at the teacher to see what he was going to do.

Mr. Yuu was stunned, but chewed the piece in his mouth and swallowed. He grinned, unable to hold back. "Thank you Anna. But you're right if that was what you were trying to prove. The only way to know about the orange is to expreience it." He began passing out the fruit to the rest of the class. "You can't really explain it with words. It's taste. It's smell. The feeling it has in your mouth. So the only way is to taste it and savour it as it fills you with knowledge about itself in your mouth. Sometimes you can't learn about things only through your ears, you have to face it."

A round of 'oohs' and murmurs rang through the bus and Yoh looked at Anna with awe who was just staring out the window now. He was really admiring her.

Keigo held the orange in his hand. He looked over at the sleeping Sumi beside him. He had heard her mutter at the beginning when Mr. Yuu had asked his question. "The best way to know about oranges is to eat it..." She had said then turned to the side and fell asleep before he knew it. Keigo smiled knowingly. _The innocent mind... is always the best answer..._

* * *

"Hey Keigo."

Keigo looked up and met his eyes with his young uncle grinning at him. "What's up Rito?" He was in his room on his computer. It was only a day since they returned from their winter break trip.

"Doing homework?" His uncle sat down on his bed and Keigo spun around in his chair to face him. "I'm kind of surprised, usually you would be out."

Keigo smirked. "I didn't know your expectations of me weren't that high."

Rito laughed in amusement. "Actually I thought you were a pretty good kid. You were totally opposite of what everyone else said." He saw his nephew's smirk fade a little. Quickly changing the subject, he asked. "Anyways what brought me to you today was that I wanted to ask if you still wanted to pursue that musician dream you talked about a few years ago."

_He remembers?_ Keigo stared. After being adopted by his uncle, he wanted to pursue a goal to be famous. And the reason for that was to find Sumi again. He had told his uncle of his dream of fame sometime during middle school, who had supported him and bought him his first guitar for his following birthday. Ever since then, he had practiced along with the twins, who he met when his uncle transferred his schools. Along the way, he had told the twins about Sumi and they agreed to help him search for her. However, when Sumi arrived at their school, his search ended and he hadn't thought about pursuing his dream of becoming a singer as much.

"Why are you suddenly asking?" Keigo asked curiously, his mind turning.

Rito leaned onto his knees. "Well, if you were still interested in the career, I was going to say that you were going to have a chance at the party ball I'm holding for New Year's next week." He said as he intertwined his fingers. "I invited an agent from one of the music companies and apparently I heard that they were scouting. So you could have a chance if you make a performance and they happen to like it." Rito grinned at Keigo with his eyes flashing. "So how about it?"

_I found Sumi though... Hmm... However..._ A smile played on the corners of his mouth as he saw Rito excited. It made him feel happier. _I owe Rito a lot... He was the first one to take me in and made my life so much easier... If I can do this successfully then I don't have to rely on Rito too much... and he can live his life..._ Keigo nodded. "Sounds good! I'm up for it!" _My life had turned around after I met Sumi and it's been uphill ever since... _

Rito laughed. "I'm glad." He stood up and patted Keigo on the shoulder. "I shall arrange your performance into the schedule for that night then." He gave his nephew a warm smile. "So from what I heard from the butler and the twins... must be true... But I'm happy."

Confusion and suspicion crossed Keigo's face. "What are you talking about? What did you hear?"

Rito laughed once more as he walked towards the door. He stopped, leaning against the door frame. "That you've been acting different..."

Keigo watched his uncle, who's taunting face showed that he knew something that he didn't. "Different? How?"

His uncle turned around as he spoke, walking out the door. His voice grew fainter and fainter as he listed. "I don't know... Studying... Randomly singing and dancing... Smiling and laughing to yourself like an idiot..."

Keigo flushed, hearing what his uncle was saying, but turned back towards his computer. He smiled softly, fingering his necklace. _Thanks though Rito... For everything you've done for me... I'm glad that there's a person like you in my life... It must have been hard for you too... I will repay you back one day..._

----------------

When you love someone,

all your saved-up wishes start coming out


	21. Chapter 21

.: So This is How it is:.

------

"Anna Kyoyama! Ms. Anna Kyoyama! Welcome back! Daddy missed you!" Mr. Kyoyama shouted merrily from his bed when he saw Anna walk through the door.

"Father..." Anna said irritated, but reddened. Jeanne was walking behind her and she giggled, hearing Mr. Kyoyama's affection for Anna. Sumi had offered to come with her, but hearing that it was at the hospital, she was scared to come.

"Oh! And Jeanne is here as well! Thank you for coming!" He cried out as they neared his bed.

"Hi Mr. Kyoyama!" Jeanne said joyfully and bowed respectfully.

Anna sat down on the edge of his bed. Being in the hospital must have been boring because her father had developed a strange sense of humor and became much more talkative. "How are you feeling Father?" Anna examined her father. Most of his bandages had come off now and he looked a lot better.

"I'm fine of course. I'm like Superman!" He flexed his arms as Jeanne supressed herself from laughing."So how was the winter break trip girls?" He asked, putting his arms back down.

"Dreadful." Anna answered as Jeanne placed a basket of fruit beside her father on the stand.

"Really Anna?" Jeanne giving her a mischievious knowing look. "I thought it was great! Even though we were-"

"Fine fine. It wasn't that bad." Anna cut off Jeanne before she could tell her father what had happened during their trip. "There were some good moments."

"I'm glad. Have fun Anna. Don't feel burdened by your old man here." Her father smiled, patting his chest. "What kind of good moments did you have?"

Jeanne's eyes sparked up and she said excitedly. "Oh it must have been the times when you were with-"

Anna clamped a hand over Jeanne's mouth as she grinned at her father. "Please ignore her Father. She had too much fun on the trip and is experiencing some major overexpressive feedback so anything she says may be either highly overexaggerated or a figment of her hallucinations."

"Oh... I see..." He nodded, but winked at Jeanne knowingly when Anna wasn't paying attention. "Oh! Anna."

"Hmm?" Anna gave Jeanne a look that meant to not mention anything to her father as she released Jeanne, then she looked at her father.

"Mr. Yagami is holding an event for New Year's and I just wanted to let you know." He looked over to his wife, who still haven't woken up. A sad smile played on his face. "It's too bad that your mother can't make it to this event. It would be nice if we can at least spend the last of our holidays together... I know she would be excited to go... She always wanted to dress up for those frivolous parties... "

Anna felt her heart drop, unsure how to make the situation better. "It's okay Father..." She reassured. "There's still time, maybe she would wake up by then..." She tried to sound optimistic. "Who's Mr. Yagami?"

"Ah... Mr. Yagami is Rito Yagami. He was there that day when we were at the Asakura's house." Her father informed. "He was the young one. Uh... I believe the kid was named Keigo. He was with Keigo."

"Oh." Anna and Jeanne blinked, listening.

"That boy looks rebellious, but you can't judge a book by its cover." Her father smiled at Anna. "Rito is rather young. He's only twenty-seven. Can you believe that? And he didn't inherit anything. He brought up everything on his own. Now that's talent. From what I heard, he took in Keigo when he was twenty. Wow, imagine taking care of someone else at that age and you aren't even married." He shook his head in amazement. "Anyways Jeanne, we'll probably see you there. I'm sure your family was invited as well."

Jeanne forced a smile and nodded. _Right... my family..._ Being reminded of her own family made her feel burdened. She would rather live with Anna's family than with hers.

He turned back to his daughter. "Anna, I'm going to start informing you about the family business so you have some idea on how to run it. You are the rightful owner and president inheriting after me of course. The Kyoyama hotels will need to be taken care of by you in order to avoid corruption and destruction occuring. The Asakuras will always be there to help you if anything were to happen in the future."

Anna looked worried and bowed her head. "Yes Father." She paused. "But don't say that. Nothing is going to happen." _Was her father expecting something to happen?_

He chuckled, noticing how scared her daughter looked. "Don't worry it's not that bad. And it's for precautions. Accidents do happen and I don't want you to suffer if another car accident like this were to happen again."

"I'm still able to handle the business now because I'm fine, but imagine if all the work was dumped onto you. I think it would be extremely stressful. I realized that I was taking things too selfishly since I didn't think about how you would feel." He laid back against the bed. "Everything going okay for you Anna? Nothing unusual happening right?"

Anna shook her head. She didn't want to worry her father. Nope. She wasn't going to tell him anything.

----------------

Jeanne ran up to her room and slammed the door behind her, locking it. She covered her ears with her hands trying to block out her parent's voices. They were arguing with each other and then once she arrived they turned all their anger onto her. Her hands were trembling as she reached to wipe away her tears. Making sure her door was still locked, she went over to her bed and sat down. Reaching for Lyserg's picture, she looked at it with a sad expression. _Am I really wishing that hard to be swept away from here? What happens if it doesn't happen?_ She shut her eyes, trying to stop her tears. _What happens if I bring him down with me? What if it never gets better? _Jeanne gave up for that few minutes and just let herself bury her face into her pillow and cried.

---------------

Family for Sumi wasn't looking up either. Sumi sighed as her step-mother went on a yelling rampage, criticizing every little thing possible about her. Sumi bit her lower lip, staring at the angry woman before her. Liz was in her room and as for Sumi, she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but even so, Sumi always found herself being blamed by Mary. Only when her father was around, her step-mother calms down a bit, but it doesn't disappear completely. Her father was usually too tired to notice and only takes it as a light argument between them.

The butler, maid, and cook were in the kitchen, but they could hear Mary Mitsuki screaming from the living room. Yuki shared a worried glance with the other two. They couldn't interfere like always. It was one of the rules they had to follow and this was one of the familiar scenes that they faced ever since they moved into the home. They were still surprised that Sumi was still polite to her step-mother despite her treatment towards her. Yuki thought that by this time Sumi would turn rebellious or something. However, there were a few times that Sumi would argue back, but they noticed that Sumi always chose to escape rather than fight back.

Sumi was surprised her lower lip wasn't bleeding from biting so hard to hold back from yelling back at Mary. She understood that her step-mother was pregnant and that she was going through some emotional reactions, but it was too consistant. Moreover, most of her sudden sprung anger came from little pointless meaningless things.

Sumi clenched her fists and turned to walk away while Mary was in mid-sentence, complaining about her personality. She could hear Mary still continue yelling to come back as she darted up the stairs and into her room. Leaning her head against the door, she inhaled deeply, calming herself down. _Don't get caught up in it... Just let it go..._

She had asked Manta for the break off so her stepmother wouldn't be suspicious of where she went, especially since she didn't have school. Sumi walked over to her bed and sprawled out on her bed. She looked at her wall, there was a picture of her and a few other girls hanging on the wall. She stared at it. It was taken after a dance competition that they participated in. Though they didn't win first place, they had fun. Sumi looked back to the ceiling with a sad smile. _Don't dwell on the past... They were happy moments..._

Mary had forced her to quit, but she had convinced her to let her participate in one last competition before it was over for her. Her eyes flickered back to the picture. It was the last time she had did something with her dance group.

She sat up on her bed. At least Mary wasn't going to check her schedule, so she knew that her step-mother wasn't going to find out that she was taking a dance class. As for Liz, she probably won't care, so there was no worries there.

Sumi smiled as she went to sit on her window ledge. She stared up into the night sky at the stars. In a way, she grew so much stronger because of her step-mother. Sumi knew the world outside was harsh and thanks to her step-mother, she wouldn't be surprised. _I'll have to thank her one day..._

Sumi brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. She fuzzily remembered, but nonetheless remembered, what the twins had told her before she had blacked out during their winter break trip. Sumi sighed. She had acted like nothing had been said and that... probably was for the best. Since Keigo wasn't the one that told her, it was okay to go on like it never happened because what if that wasn't how he felt? But then again it would explain how he acts around her.

She rested her chin onto her knees. Plus even if he did tell her, she wouldn't know how to react because she wasn't sure of how _she_ felt. She never thought of him as something more than a good friend, but now... because of what the twins said, she was going to notice it more. The things that he does for her and the way he acts around her. Sumi groaned. _Why???_

And there was Hao, who was acting really strange around her during the trip. Not the mention that he kissed her... Twice... Sumi frowned. She didn't understand what he was doing, but she could see how much he was really hurting Liz. _I still think it's best to avoid him if I can..._

It was giving her a headache, thinking about it so Sumi shook her head rapidly. _Don't think about any of this. Just go with the flow Sumi and things will work out... Go back to being you. Pretend this trip never happened. _ She reassured herself and looked at Anna's window. It was closed, meaning Anna probably wasn't home yet.

She got up off the window and closed it, pulling the curtains after.

---------------

Yoh peeked one eye open to see his twin brother walking into his room and sat in one of his chairs. He just smiled and closed his eyes peacefully.

"Yoh. Is that all you do? Sleep?" Hao asked staring at his twin, who was lying on his bed with his head resting on his hands.

"Um..." Yoh yawned. "Yeah, pretty much. Down time is awesome."

"Damn, you're too damn lax." Hao ran a hand through his hair. "I bet... if you had your way, you would have a lot of down time."

Yoh sat up with a lopsided grin. "**If**__I had my way..."

"Anyways Mother just told me that on New Years, we're going to some guy name Rito Yagami's place. So I came to tell you."

Yoh nodded lazily as he yawned again. "Keigo's place. Cool."

Hao stood up surprised. "Keigo's place?!? What the hell! Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Yoh just laughed with a bemused expression. "He's a good guy Hao."

Hao pointed at Yoh with an accusing look. "That's because you are too easygoing." He crossed his arms with an irritated look. "I don't trust that guy."

"Because of Sumi?" Yoh was giving his twin a teasing smile and mischievious look.

There was no reaction on Hao's face as he scratched his head. "Yeah, she's our friend, so you should be worried too. I mean Keigo is trouble. He street races, fights, and just looks like trouble. Plus he doesn't listen to anyone and does what he wants."

Yoh couldn't stop smiling as he propped one leg up and hung an arm over his leg. He rubbed his chin with his other hand. "Hmm... doesn't that sound like... hmm... I don't know... _**us**_?"

Hao blinked as it sunk in. He frowned. "Well, we don't have any intention of harming anyone. And we're completely different from _that_ guy."

Yoh shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Considering that you've broken so many girl's hearts, we totally seem a lot better then him."

A dark shadow covered Hao's face and he growled. "Fine. Maybe he isn't that bad." He collapsed into Yoh's swivel chair and spun around. "But I still don't trust him."

Yoh crossed his legs and leaned forward, wearing a light smile. "Oh my dear brother, you still got lots to learn."

----------------

HoroHoro jumped and whooped loudly as he just defeated the final stage of the game and won. "Yes!" He pumped a fist into the air then brought it back down with a wide grin on his face as he walked over to shut off the system. Then he threw himself into the comfort of his bed. Honestly, he was really bored. Yoh and Hao had some sort of family event going on, Lyserg was studying, Ren was on a two day trip with his sister, and though he wasn't entirely close with Ryo, he had even considered calling him, but found out that he was working. Chocolove, he wasn't even going to bother calling him because he would probably be annoyed by him the whole time. He sighed as he stared at the ceiling, bored out of his mind. Even his little sister was out shopping with Tamao while he was wasting away at home.

HoroHoro sat up. He spotted the pebble that he had gotten from Sumi sitting on his desk during their winter trip. _Hm... I should go out and not waste my time huh?_ With that decision, he hopped up off his bed and grabbed his keys. _I'll go get some frozen yogurt._

A few minutes later, he found himself walking down the street with a cup of frozen yogurt in his hand with some delicious delight melting in his mouth even though the air around him was pretty chilly. "Mmm..." He moaned as he scooped another spoonful into his mouth. His eyes scanned the block, there were people bustling about in and out of stores, so it was pretty busy. The snow on the sidewalk was covered with people's footprints and the people passing him were staring at him as if he was crazy as they walked by with warm coffee between their hands.

But he just ignored him and glanced around. _Christmas is coming..._ He finally realized as he passed a store that was playing loud Christmas carols. _I should get Pirika's Christmas present... _His face brightened up and he quickly turned away from the store.

He collided with someone and his yogurt was sent flying. He abruptly reached for it and found his arms too short to grab it as he fell forward.

"Hey watch it you jerk!"

HoroHoro's ears twitched and he pushed his face out of the snow to glare angrily at his opponent. "You're the one who bumped into me!" He snapped, but stopped to see Anna sitting on her butt, giving him a murderous look. "Oh hi Anna."

She was still giving him a death glare as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Who are you?"

Realizing that snow was covering his entire face, he quickly jumped up and wiped the snow from his face. "It's me. What are you doing here?"

"Oh it's the stupid one." She said icily with a mysterious smirk, so HoroHoro couldn't tell if she was teasing him or insulting him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your little posse?"

HoroHoro frowned, but immediately covered it with a grin. "Oh, they got stuff to do. I was just getting yogu-" Instantly remembering his dessert, he scanned for it, but found it demolished on the ground. "NOOOOO! MY YOGURT!" He screamed and pointed at the cup as one hand grabbed his hair.

Anna was shocked by his sudden outburst, but more embarrassed when the people around began whispering as they passed them. They pointed at HoroHoro who was kneeling on the ground, sobbing at his misfortune. She grabbed his ear with her fingers and dragged him away from the crowd.

"Why are you so embarassing?" She said as she released him when there were no one around them. Anna crossed her arms and stared him down.

He threw his arms up, yelling, but nonetheless still intimidated by Anna. "What? My yogurt died! I can't be sad?"

"No. Be a man. That's pathetic." She stated and he hung his head in despair. "Anyways since your here, you can help me."

"Huh? Help you?" HoroHoro looked dumbfounded as Anna shoved the bags she was holding into his hands. Without waiting, she turned and started walking back down the street.

"Speed it up pokey." She demanded, not turning around as he stared at her retreating back.

Finally hitting him, he exclaimed angrily. "WHAT?!? DO I LOOK LIKE A SLAVE TO YOU?!?" Seeing her ignore him, he trailed after Anna with an exasperated sigh and bags hanging from his arms.

* * *

Liz pushed a pea back and forth with her spoon on her plate as she stared at her full plate of food sitting before her.

"Liz, don't play with your food." Her mother commanded.

A nod and smile came onto her face as she looked up at her mother. Sure, her mother was pregnant, but she was getting on her case more often. Liz turned her head to look at Sumi eating in front of her. But honestly, she felt more sorry towards Sumi, her mother was on her almost twenty-four seven.

Everyone was sitting at the table eating their dinner together because it was one of those rare times that her step-father was home. However surprisingly, it was a rather quiet dinner unlike all the other times when her mother blabbered away with gossip. A cellphone rang disturbing the peaceful quiet dinner.

She watched Sumi fumble through her pockets to grab her cellphone to stop the loud music disrupting the silent atmosphere. Both of her parents had turned towards the noise as her step-sister pushed a button on her cellphone and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

Her eyes diverted to her mother, who was beginning to look irritated. Liz placed her chin onto her hand, listening to Sumi's conversation. _Must be Keigo calling..._ Liz assumed and she looked wearily at her mother who was now popping a vein.

"Sumi, there are no cellphones allowed at the dinner table." Her mother said firmly, giving Sumi a look.

Sumi had nodded furiously and whispered into the phone. "Sorry, I'll call you back later."

Liz saw Sumi grimaced at whatever the other person said on the line and she gave a weak smile. "Hahaha. Okay-"

"Sumi... Off now." The expecting mother said in a warning tone.

"-Bye." She quickly hung up and stuffed the phone into her pocket with a slight smile on her face. She bowed her head towards Mary. "Sorry." Then turned and bowed her head towards her father.

"So who was that?" He gave her a tired grin, but nonetheless it was a warm smile.

Sumi scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. "Um... it was Anna."

"Okay." Mary glowered suspiciously as she stated with an edgy voice. "I hope you aren't still talking with that one disrespectful boy."

Sumi pursed her lips and quickly defended. "He's really nice. Don't misunderstand him."

Liz looked at her stepfather to see him rub his head with a sigh. "Mary, please..."

"I'm looking out for her like I said." Mary snapped, but then her face softened as she looked at her husband. She exhaled then took a spoonful of soup.

Kyo Mitsuki then looked at both Liz and Sumi, deciding to change the subject. "So what are your plans after school ends?"

Liz looked at Sumi then back to her bowl, moving her spoon around. She shrugged. "College? What else?"

Sumi saw her father look at her next. "I don't know. I'll see what happens."

Her father looked worried. "You aren't thinking about going to college?"

"Um... I don't know." Sumi smiled as Liz glanced at her sister. It surprised her that Sumi was not even considering college. Her grades were up there, close to the top, so she was pretty sure that Sumi could get into a good school. Liz had expected Sumi to continue going to school, especially after high school.

"You better not be thinking about pursuing some type of dancing. That isn't allowed." Mary was frowning at Sumi. "You should go to college and focus on your studies."

Sumi chuckled. "I'll see."

Mary's voice suddenly rose. "Don't _'I'll see'_ me! Dancing will get you nowhere! Your future should be more realistic! Schooling is important!"

"Mary..." Kyo's voice warned.

"I didn't say I was going to dance." Sumi stared. "And it shouldn't matter to you what I choose to do. It's my life."

"You!" Mary pointed, finger shaking and voice filled with venom. "Are so difficult! Of course it matters to me! If you end up in a whorehouse, people are going to say 'how did you raise that child?' I am responsible for how you turn out! Don't shame this family!"

"Mary!" Her father had stood up, glaring. "Watch what you say." His voice was strained as he turned to his daughter. "And Sumi please don't be difficult. She only wants to help you." He sat back down, looking at Sumi. "Let's discuss this next time, dinner is getting cold."

Sumi nodded, but stood up carrying her bowl. "I'm actually not hungry anymore, so please excuse me." She quickly headed towards the kitchen to leave her bowl and then disappeared towards the stairs before anyone else can speak up.

Liz looked at her mother, who was angry as she spoke. "That boy is a bad influence. Look what he's doing to your daughter."

The look on her step-father's face showed disappointment. Liz slurped her soup loudly. _How did they get their disapproval already? _She wondered then spoke up. "Keigo isn't as bad as you think."

"Don't speak up for him." Her mother snapped. "Look at what he's done to Sumi." She pointed at her daughter, wagging her finger. "And you just stay with the upper class students. Hao Asakura is a good match for you."

Liz's heart dropped and she forced herself to sustain a normal posture. She felt like she was desperately clinging to him as he was fading from her. It was like trying to grab hold of water. Her heart was aching just thinking about Hao.

Liz realized that she cared about other matters less now. Most of her focus had only been on Hao. Status, beauty, wealth, all seemed to disappear from her top priorities when she realized that she was _really _in love with Hao. Even though he had all of the above, what did it matter if he didn't care about her?

She shook herself from her thoughts and faked a smile. And for Sumi's case, what happens if then if the people around them don't want them to be together? Liz's heart tightened. _This feels like a drama... but... with no good ending_.

* * *

Ren stared out of the window at the clouds as the plane soared through the sky. His sister was sleeping beside him, tired from their trip. He was tired as well, but for some reason he couldn't sleep. There was something bothering him. Something that he saw while they were visiting their family in China.

The memory replayed in his mind as the small specks of city buildings appeared beneath the clouds.

_"Hey Ren! Go ask Father if he would like to join us for dinner."_

_Ren looked up to see Jun smiling at him sweetly. He glowered and crossed his arms. "Why don't you go ask that man instead of me?"_

_"Aw please Ren? It would be helpful because I'm helping set up. You're just sitting there anyways, so please?" Jun pleaded with a smile._

_Ren growled, but stood up, muttering. "Curse you Jun for knowing that I would do whatever you say." He made his way down the halls, still grumbling. "Now I have to go face that man..."_

_He opened the door to his father's study room and entered. "Ahem..." He cleared his throat, waiting for a reply from the dark room. He switched on the light on his right and light brightened up the room. An empty scattered room greeted him. He was about to turn around and head out the door, but something on his father's desk caught his eye._

_Curiousity overtook him and he took a couple steps forward cautiously. As he inched towards the desk, what he saw were photos. There weren't many, but they stood out in the mass of dull white papers. What surprised him was the picture sitting on top. It was a picture of Yuna. His heart froze and he felt his feet stopped._

_Questions ran through his mind at that moment. Why did his father have a picture of Yuna? Did his father know about her being his girlfriend and was going to send assassins after her? Was his father spying on him? _

_His muscles moved again and he was about to reach for the pictures to see the others, but he heard a noise coming from the door. "What are you doing Ren?" A deep voice bellowed._

_Ren quickly turned and faced his father's irritated expression. He stuffed his hands into his back pockets and just answered firmly. "Going to ask you if you are going to join us for dinner."_

_"..." En Tao frowned at his son. "Yes I am. Go on now." He indicated Ren towards the door. "Don't be nosy and wander into my work. It'll confuse me or throw me off."_

_Ren nodded and walked out of the room with his father watching him. The door shut behind him and Ren was left standing in the hall by himself._

Ren pondered at why his father had a photo of Yuna. It didn't make sense, unless his father was spying on him. An assumption suddenly hit him. Perhaps his father was involved with Yuna somehow... or with Ikuto... like friends, partners, or something... That would make a more reasonable explaination. But... somehow, Ren didn't think that was the case. He'll have to research into it to find out whatever his father was hiding from him.

For now, he gazed down at the city below, he'll just have to deal with whatever happens without that knowledge. He was just glad that he didn't have to spend Christmas with his father.

* * *

It's Christmasss!

-------------------

Yoh stood outside Anna's house. He grinned to himself as he rubbed his hands together to keep warm. It was snowing lightly, so it was pretty perfect for a Christmas Day. Yoh couldn't help feeling excited as he examined her yard.

Anna had already left this morning, so he figured she was going to spend Christmas Day at the hospital with her parents, which was logical. But he had an idea for when she returned. _Man... sometimes I surprise myself..._ He chuckled softly. _Hopefully, it would just go well._ He knealt down and opened a brown box that he had brought over from his house.

_"What are you doing Yoh?" Hao asked, rubbing his eyes, still in his pajamas when he saw his brother shoving things into a brown box._

_Yoh just beamed brightly at his brother. "I have a surprise for Anna for Christmas!"_

_"Anna?" Hao seemed to finally awaken and his eyes widened. "OH CRAP! No way! It's Christmas already?" He exclaimed and a panic look covered his face._

_Yoh nodded and rubbed his cheek. "Don't tell me you forgot to go shopping for Liz."_

_"Oh man, you know me too well." Hao shouted and darted towards his room. Within seconds, he ran back out, changed. "I would like to find out what you're doing, but I gotta go grab something and plan something out fast! So you better tell me Yoh!"_

_Amusement covered Yoh's face as he nodded and watched his brother head towards the door. "Hurry Hao! I'll see you later then." _

He looked around and decided to start on the snowpeople instead and started gathering up snow. He rolled around some snow for the next few minutes until he heard a voice.

"Excuse me."

Yoh looked up to see Anna's butler standing there, wearing a bewildered expression. "Ah, Mr. Yoh Asakura." He bowed to greet him and Yoh returned it with a small nod. "May I ask what are you doing?"

Yoh smiled and stood up straight. "Ah! I'm surprising Anna when she comes back, so please don't tell her. It's her Christmas present."

The butler smiled in response, hearing Yoh's words. "Do you need help Mr. Asakura?"

"Haha. Nah, thanks though." Yoh wiped his forehead. "I'm fine, so you can go back inside. Sorry for disturbing you." He grinned and winked. "You'll probably see it later."

The butler nodded and bowed. "If you need anything, I'll be inside."

"Thanks!" Yoh waved and saw the butler head back in. He turned and saw Sumi standing beside his brown box, looking at him curiously. "Hi Sumi!"

She pointed at his snowman. "What are you doing in Anna's yard? Playing?" She grinned mischieviously. "Shouldn't you do that in your own yard? Anna isn't going to be happy with that. Plus your yard is a lot bigger than hers."

Yoh laughed. "I guess it looks like I'm playing." He placed his hands on his head. "I'm actually decorating the place to surprise Anna." He nudged the box with his foot. "Don't tell her though."

Sumi's face brightened. "Really? That's cool! Need help?" She asked, but suddenly remembered. "Oh wait, I can't." Her expression dropped. "I promised to work today."

"Working on Christmas day? Wow, you're crazy." He raised his eyebrow. "Wait you work? Where?"

"Oh right." Sumi leaned in and whispered. "It's actually a secret from my parents." She put a hand on the back of her neck. "I told them that I was going to spend today with some friends, but I'm actually working today to get away." She gave a small smile. "I work at Happiness, if you know where that is."

"Oh I heard about that place. Hao told me that our friends opened up that restaurant." Yoh nodded. "It's okay. Don't overwork though. Enjoy some of Christmas. Come over tonight to our place. I think we'll probably have a little hang out if no one else is doing anything."

Sumi nodded and grinned. "Okay! Tell me how the surprise went later! I got to go!" Sumi said and ran out of Anna's yard waving to Yoh.

"Okay!" Yoh waved in return and started on his second snowman. He pulled his headphones over his ears and hummed as he worked. _Jingle Bells. Jingle Bells. Jingle all the way..._

* * *

_**Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!**_ Lyserg sleepily reached for his cellphone that was vibrating on his nightstand beside his head. Unconsciously pushing a button and pressing it to his ear, he mumbled with a rough voice. "Hello?"

"Um, Lyserg? Are you still sleeping? I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Jeanne? What is it?" He replied with his eyes still closed.

Her words began stumbling over each other as she spoke. "Uh, I-I wanted- I-I just thought- I-I tried- I'm- So I-"

Lyserg exhaled, finally pushing his head off of his pillow. "I'm not understanding anything you're saying Jeanne."

"Um, Merry Christmas..." Jeanne's voice said bashfully. "I'm outside."

"Uh... Of my house? Or gate?" Lyserg rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"...Yeah..." Her voice replied shyly. "I'm... out... side... of your house..."

Lyserg got up off his bed and walked over to his window as he rubbed his head. He pulled back the curtain and looked out the window. He could see Jeanne standing in his driveway all bundled up. She looked like a small speck of color in the big snow-covered yard. Someone probably let her in. Lyserg opened the window and a cold gust of wind met him as he leaned on his window frame looking down at her. "Man, you're up early." He called down to her.

She just smiled and waved as a response and he turned away from the window to make his way downstairs. Opening the front door, he walked out in his pajamas, rubbing his neck with a confused expression. "Hey Jeanne. What are you doing here so early? Why didn't you come inside?"

Jeanne's heart pounded rapidly as she spotted Lyserg emerging from his house. His messy hair and his tank that he was wearing only made him more eye candy to her. _How can he be so handsome without even trying?_ Jeanne's thoughts cried out as she tried not to stare at him. "I-I just wanted to say Merry Christmas." She felt her cheeks redden as she pulled out a box, neatly wrapped. "And give you this."

He stared at the box in her hands, surprised. "I thought we all agreed to not get each other presents for Christmas."

"Y-yes. I know. But I wanted to give you something." She flushed even further when she caught a glance of him. "B-but of course, I don't expect anything back from you because it's really unexpected, so please accept my gift."

Lyserg sighed, pausing as he looked at the shy girl before him. Then shaking his head, he gently took the gift from her hands. "Thank you Jeanne." He saw her face lit up as she raised her head to look at him.

"You're welcome." She replied with a smile.

He gave a small grin in response, but it faded when he noticed how puffy her eyes were. "Is everything okay Jeanne? Were you crying?"

She was caught off guard that he was able to tell. _Is it that obvious?_ Jeanne continued smiling. "Oh, everything is fine. I just watched a really sad movie last night." She then pointed at him. "Aren't you cold? You're only in pajamas."

Finally noticing that he was in the snow without a jacket, Lyserg shivered. "You're right. Let's get inside." He rubbed his bare arms and quickly headed towards his house with Jeanne following behind him. _Hmm... Jeanne lied... But I shouldn't invade if she doesn't want me to... I hope everything is okay..._

* * *

_Ah... This world is harsh... Reality isn't as sweet as how people want it to be... _Sumi sighed as she cleared a table and quickly wiping it down. There was a girl sitting at this table earlier, waiting for a guy anxiously, but he didn't show up for a good hour. Sumi could see her disappointment as she desperately tried to hold on to that spark of hope. When he did finally come, he had brought another girl with him. Therefore there was a lot of crying and yelling when he arrived.

Sumi had wanted to stop their argument, but Ryu and Manta had told her not to get involved with their customer's problems. They have no right to barge into their customers' personal life. However, when it got distructive, Ryu had charged in, stopping the fight before it happened.

Sumi stacked the plates against her arms and carried it into the kitchen. She spotted Ryu at the stove and her coworkers moving about as she headed towards the sink.

"Ah! Sumi." She heard Ryu's voice call out to her.

"Yes?" She quickly placed the dishes into the sink and turned around to face her boss.

"I know I was in the middle of explaining to you to not to barge into our customer's problems when I interfered into that incident." Ryu scratched his head. "I know this sounds hypocritical because I just contradicted myself, but it was neccessary." He took a deep breath and checked his cooking, making sure that it didn't burn.

"When you are before a customer, you must treat them well with a smile on your face... even if you are angry, upset, or having a bad day. We must give them the feeling of happiness when they come here, so they think 'I feel happy when I am here,' then they would come back again." Ryu transferred his cooking onto a plate. (**Wise words from the mother of the leader of Big Bang, though slightly altered. =P)**

"However, you must never get involved with the customer's problems without permission. We aren't allowed to voice our opinons before them because it isn't our business. But," He handed the plate to a passing waitress, who nodded at him. "If it gets violent and affects our other customers or causes any harm to our restaurant, then that's when you call out me." He thumbed at himself. "I'll take care of it. Okay Sumi?"

Sumi stared, surprised. A sudden unfamiliar scene played in her head as she heard Ryu's words.

_"It's alright Sumi." A warm hand held her shoulder and she was greeted with a sweet smile. "Don't be nervous. As an actress before an audience, if you're angry, nervous, upset, or feeling unwell, you must not let it show and smile with a clear heart. That way they can feel at ease and comfortable with you and love what you are doing for them. Okay?"_

Her heartbeat increased and she grabbed her head, frightened at the sudden intrusion. Shutting her eyes, she tried to block out the voice echoing in her head. Unexplainable guilt eased itself around her heart and she found it harder to breathe as she felt herself starting to panic.

"Sumi? Are you alright?" Ryu's voice asked her with concern. "Are you not feeling well?"

She snapped back to the current situation, out of the state she was in a few seconds earlier. Sumi let out a sigh of relief and looked at Ryu's worried face.

"Sorry... I'm alright..." She smiled gently, not sure if she wanted to explain. So she quickly made her escape. "Thank you. I think I'll get back to work now." Sumi turned and walked towards the tables outside before Ryu could say any more.

She bit her lip, feeling uneasy. _What was that? That was the first time that happened and... it didn't make sense to me... _Sumi placed a smile on her face as she walked out to face the customers. Fear clutched at her chest as she led some students to a table. _It was overwhelming guilt... Am... I... starting to remember?_

* * *

"I guess this was what Hao was talking about."

Yoh turned away from his preparations and stood up to see Ren standing there with his arms crossed. "Hi Ren!" He laughed and nodded. "I'm guessing Hao told you?"

Ren closed his eyes and nodded. He thumbed over his shoulder. "The others are here too." Ren turned sideways and took a step back so Yoh can see HoroHoro, Pirika, Tamao, Lyserg, Jeanne, and even Jun heading towards them and waving their arms so he could see them.

He couldn't hold back his grin and threw his arm up to wave back at his friends. _It sure is great to see your friends._

Ren let a small smile escape his lips as he watched Yoh. His eyes scanned the yard and saw the snowmen. He saw the two snowmen, which he figured was suppose to be Anna and Yoh. His smile faded a little. _If I realized it sooner, maybe I would've been the one out here..._ Then he noticed the other snowmen behind the Anna and Yoh snowmen. Pointing angrily at them, Ren looked at Yoh. "What are those suppose to be?!?"

Yoh placed an arm around one of them and gestured at it. "Oh this?" Yoh beamed proudly. "These are suppose to be you guys! And this one is you!"

Ren glared at the angry looking snowman. "I don't look like that!!!" Ren rapidly punched the pile of snow that was a failed attempt of presenting his true self.

"REN!" Yoh cried out. "You killed Ren!" He looked at the broken snowman lying at his feet then back to Ren with big watery eyes. "Noooo! Ren!"

Ren clenched his fists and shouted at Yoh. "THAT'S NOT ME!!!" He then bent down and picked up the snow, clumping it into his hands. "I'll show you how Ren is suppose to look like!" He furiously began making a snowman.

"I want to make myself too!" Pirika shouted and ran towards the snowmen.

"Me too!" Tamao ran after her best friend, giggling.

"Let's join them!" Jeanne looked at Lyserg with a bright smile. Lyserg nodded and followed Jeanne.

Jun grinned. "I can't miss out on this." She went up beside Ren and began on her project.

Yoh gave a warm smile as he saw all his friends laughing as they started to make their snowmen. _It's one of those rare times... Where we don't have to worry about our status and just play..._ He turned his head and saw HoroHoro standing on the side with a frown. "What's wrong HoroHoro?"

HoroHoro pouted. "I'm not making myself for that slave driver Anna. She's so demanding." He held out his hands in horror. "Do you have any idea how long I had to carry her bags as we went through each store? It was hell!" He hung his head. "I just wanted some frozen yogurt..."

Yoh sweatdropped, seeing HoroHoro hanging his head as he remembered his horrifying memory.

"Don't worry BoroBoro. I already made you." Ren's voice echoed to the blue head and he looked up. Ren was pointing to a huge lump of snow that was suppose to protray HoroHoro. On it's chest, there were words that scrawled out BoroBoro.

"WAH!!!" HoroHoro cried out and ran over to the figure. "This doesn't even look like me at all!" He pointed at Ren's snow sculpture of himself outrageously. "And that doesn't look like you at all!"

Ren placed his hands on his hips. "Of course it does. It captures my true self on snow."

HoroHoro's eyes shrunk to dots as he looked back and forth from Ren to the snowman. The snowman was flexing his arms and looked really big compared to the Ren standing before him. _They don't look alike at all..._ HoroHoro looked at his and felt his blood boil. "Fine! I'll show Anna how HoroHoro is portrayed! I'll make her notice and not to mess with HoroHoro!" He began digging at the snow with raging ambititon.

Yoh laughed. _Aren't you glad Anna? If you could see this, you could see how nice it is to see everyone this happy and laughing..._

_**Snap!**_ Yoh turned at the sound surprised. Her butler was standing there with a smile on his face and holding a camera in his hands.

"I would like for Ms. Anna to see what you guys are doing for her. I'm sure she'll be pretty pleased." The butler grinned and went on snapping pictures.

Yoh looked at the sky, smiling gently. _See Anna? We're here for you... Don't worry too much by yourself..._

* * *

Anna let out a sigh as she stood outside the hospital building in front of the glass doors. She looked up at the sky. It was snowing lightly and it was peacefully quiet. It was growing dark and she pulled her jacket around her tighter. She had spent the day with her father and mother in the hospital and she was going to stay longer until her father made her leave, saying that she needed to get away from the hospital. _Oh father... Hopefully mother gets better soon so you don't have to feel so guilty..._

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out slowly, snapping it open to hold it against her ear. "Hello?"

"Anna! Merry Christmas! Where are you?" Jeanne's voice came excited on the other line.

She inhaled the cold air. "At the hospital, where else?"

"Oh... Well," Jeanne started slowly. "...Um... Hao... invited all of us to go eat together for dinner. Would you like to go Anna?"

Hearing Hao's name still sparked an irritation within her, but Anna calmly replied as she started making her way to her car. "No, I think I'll pass. I don't want to see them."

"But, but Anna!" Jeanne's voice pleaded. "Please let's go together! I don't want to go alone! My Christmas is has been pretty dull. I at least want to see you."

"We can go eat together, but just not with them." Her answer came out flatly as she opened the door to her car.

"But Anna..." Jeanne's voice drifted. "I... I... also want to see..."

_Right... Lyserg...._ Anna sighed as she could imagine Jeanne already blushing. She didn't want her friend to be miserable, especially on Christmas Day. "Fine... Where are they eating at? I'll head straight there right now."

"Ah!... Um..." Jeanne stuttered into the phone.

"Do you need a ride? Should I come pick you up at your house?" Anna shifted the phone to her other ear as she started her car.

"Um... Actually Anna... I... I'm... hoping that we can meet at your house first..." Jeanne's voice paused.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Why can't we meet there if you don't want a ride?"

"I... need... to talk to you about something..." Jeanne said slowly. "It's really important!"

"And... I'm guessing we can't talk at the restaurant?" Anna asked. "And you can't tell me over the phone?" _Must be about Lyserg..._

"Yeah..." Jeanne replied. "Anyways, I'll see you at your house! So talk to you soon Anna!"

"Uh... Okay..." Anna answered and closed her phone. _Oh Jeanne... Sometimes you worry me too much... _She shook her head as she backed out the car and drove towards her home.

Anna stepped out of her car and looked at the sky. The snow was still falling lightly. She didn't see Jeanne's car anywhere, so she figured that she had arrived earlier than her. Shaking her head once more, she decided to head inside to wait for her.

She was heading for her front door when she noticed some odd things that were out of place. First of all, she spotted footprints. Not a few, but lots. Her alertness shot up rapidly. Her eyes scanned the yard suspiciously. _What if it was those men again? Are they after me?_ She spotted some shadows and she squinted. She couldn't see that clearly in the dark, but there was definitely people there. _I'll have to get rid of them before Jeanne comes..._

She moved cautiously and grabbed a stick off the floor. Then she slowly made her way over to the shadows. Cold sweat trickled down the side of her face as she tried no to make any noise. However, unexpectantly, lights suddenly came on. Her heart jumped and raced so fast that it was humming inside her chest. _Shit... A trap?_

Her vision adjusted to the bright light and she dropped her stick. She stood there with her mouth slightly opened. There were Christmas lights hanging on the trees and everywhere around her. It was somehow dazzlingly beautiful with the various colors.

Yoh stepped out from behind a tree with a warm grin on his face. "Hi Anna."

The amazed and awed expression immediately vanished from Anna's face. She frowned. "Did you do this?"

He walked towards her with both hands behind his head, wearing a silly smile. "Yup!"

Anna grabbed the scarf around his neck and pulled. "AND WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO DO THIS?" Anna yelled as she strangled him with his scarf and shook him around. "YOU SCARED THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF ME! WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO INVADE INTO MY YARD AND-"

"Anna..." Yoh choked out as he was shaken about. "Me..rry... Christ...mas..."

She stopped after hearing him speak. Releasing him, she let him drop to the floor as she breathed heavily to calm herself down.

_Whoa... I almost died... _Yoh was inhaling deeply and holding his neck. Then as if nothing happened, he stood up with a goofy grin on his face. "Sorry Anna about scaring you. I didn't mean for that to happen. I just wanted to surprise you."

Anna had her arms crossed and she grumbled unhappily. "Yeah... you surprised me alright..."

"But..." Yoh's hands went back behind his head. "Do you like it? I mean you looked so amazed when I first turned it on." He grinned brightly.

Anna struggled to hide her blush. She didn't want to admit it, but she did like it. However, she wasn't going to tell him that anytime soon. _Gosh Yoh... You're so unpredicatable.... _Her eyes looked around and when she spotted the snowmen, she realized that they were the shadowy figures that she was planning to attack. Her eyes shrunk to dots as she pointed at the two figures. "Who is that suppose to be?"

Yoh laughed as he took a step towards the snowmen along with Anna. "It's suppose to be you and me."

"Uh..." She turned her head to look at the others behind the snowmen they were looking at. She sweatdropped. "Care to explain those?" The various different styles of snowmen representing their friends stood out tremendously compared to Yoh's attempt. Anna pointed at the one snowman that looked like it was carrying a giant mountain standing beside a buff looking 'Ren.' "Especially that one."

Yoh chuckled. "Oh... HoroHoro said something about revenging about you destroying his frozen yogurt, so he wants you to remember it forever with that big one."

Anna glowered and a dark expression covered her face, but then her facial features relaxed as she turned to Yoh. _Thanks... _It was what she wanted to say, but for some reason she couldn't open her mouth to say it.

Yoh beamed brightly before her. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it. Walking behind her, he slipped the necklace around Anna's neck and then fastened it gently behind her. Leaning to her ear, he whispered. "Merry Christmas Anna..."

This time, Anna couldn't hold back her blush as she unconsciously touched the necklace around her neck. It was her name with the chains on the sides wrapping around her neck. Very simple, but it was given by Yoh. She turned around, still red. _Why? _She wanted to ask, but once again she found her words stuck in her throat. _Why me out of all people? _Her heart was pounding so fiercely that she found it difficult to breathe correctly. She really wasn't expecting this.

Yoh just smiled gently at her with a warm expression. He placed one hand onto her cheek, then it slowly slipped towards the back of her neck. He gradually leaned towards her and cautiously pulled her closer to him.

Anna's heart was now skipping beats. _What?!? _Her head panicked, unsure of what to do and unable to control her heart. _I'm not ready for this! Hold on! Hold on! WHAT IS GOING ON? _She stared as his face slowly inched towards her, recalling her dream in the nurse's office a while back. _Oh crap!!!_

"Hey lovebirds!"

Yoh and Anna shot away from each other and looked towards the sound. Keigo was standing there smirking, looking as full of it as ever. Anna was flushing many shades of red, but she was now able to breath better. _Oh god, for once I thank you Keigo, for that idiotic brain of yours to decide to be selfish and rude and interrupt us._

Yoh was embarrassed as he scratched his head to cover it up. "Hi Keigo! What's up?"

Keigo's eyes flickered between Yoh and Anna as he took in the scene and gave them a smug look. "You guys know where Sumi is?"

Yoh's embarassed state disappeared and he looked at Keigo warmly. "Oh, she's working."

"Working?" Keigo grumbled as a worried look covered his image. Then he smirk at them once more. "Cool thanks." He bowed sarcastically. "Sorry for interrupting. Please continue where you left off."

_Is that all he wanted to know?_ Ren watched Keigo make his exit, leaving Yoh and Anna alone once more. However, he let out a sigh of relief. _What? Why am I feeling glad that Yoh failed? _He clutched his head. _Don't tell me I still harbor deep feelings for Anna! No!_ He argued with himself. _I already decided to not compete with Yoh for Anna. He deserves her more than me. So stop these thoughts!_

Lyserg was frowning the entire time that he saw Keigo enter and leave. _He's still inconsiderate and rude. Should I even trust him with Sumi?_

"I'm going to kill him one day." A low menacing voice was heard behind Lyserg and everyone turned to see Hao and Liz standing there.

"How long have you been there Hao?" HoroHoro asked startled. "I didn't hear you."

Hao clenched his fist, a fiery aura erupted around him. "The whole time." He pursed his lips. "Damn that Keigo. He ruined Yoh's chance." _And now he's going to Sumi's work place. _

Jeanne sighed inwardly, sensing Lyserg's strong dislike towards Keigo, one that was matching Hao's. She looked back towards Yoh and Anna. Though Keigo was rude and kind of obnoxious, he was still very handsome, so she couldn't hate him because she found him attractive. But her heart only drew her towards Lyserg.

Jun, Pirika, and Tamao all let out a sad exhale. One of their fairytale moments that they were expecting to happen, didn't, so they were a bit disappointed. But Tamao wasn't feeling too bad because even though her feelings towards Yoh had transferred to HoroHoro, she didn't think she was ready to see him kiss another girl just yet.

"Aw Hao, why didn't I get something like this?" Liz pouted, trying to catch his attention. "This looks so romantic!" She clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling with admiration.

Hao turned to Liz, smiling. He had woke up, rushed to grab a present, and showed up at her house carrying a oversized white bear. They went out to eat lunch at a fancy restaurant right after with her mother glittering with happiness when they left. He hadn't seen Sumi the entire day and when he asked Liz, she just replied that she was out with some friends.

He placed a hand on her cheek, leaning close to her and whispered in an irresistible voice. "Sorry... but that isn't my style... Let's go to a theme park to make it up hm?"

Liz blushed and nodded happily. _If it stays like this forever, I would die happily..._

Hao grinned and took a step. The small box in his pocket unexpectantly poked his leg, reminding him that it still exists. He had also gotten a ring with designs carved around it, but for some reason, he couldn't give it to Liz. To him, a ring meant promises and he couldn't trust himself to keep promises with her yet. Honestly, he didn't want to hurt her and see her disappointed when he happens to break those promises that he might make. He looked towards Yoh and Anna and was surprised to see them standing in front of Ren and the others.

Anna had her arms crossed with her expression somewhere mixed between embarassment and anger. Seeing her face twisted with various emotions always amused him. And Yoh had on a goofy shy smile. Hao raised his eyebrow and smirked. They had found out that they were hiding behind some trees watching them, not that he didn't expect them to. Yoh was pretty observant and he knew that. "So... shall we go eat?"

"Yeah! I'm starving!" HoroHoro shouted with much enthusiasm.

Anna was glowering at Jeanne with a look that said, 'You tricked me...' and Jeanne was laughing nervously.

"Let's go eat at Happiness since Sumi is there!" Yoh pointed out. "That way she can join us after!"

A dark aura exploded around Liz's heart and she clenched her fist, trying not to show any envy on her face. Her eyes shot to Hao, who was still wearing his smirk.

Anna and Jeanne looked at Yoh, both sharing the same thought. _He's too nice..._

"Oh she works there? I've always wanted to try that place!" Jun exclaimed excited. "I heard the food was really good!"

"Yeah, let's head there. I've never tried it either." Lyserg said nodding.

"Good food! Now we have to go!" HoroHoro was wiggling around impatiently, but he saw the hestitant look on Ren's face. _Hm... I wonder what's up..._

* * *

Sometimes I wish I had never met you because then I could go to sleep at night not knowing there was someone like you out there.


	22. Chapter 22

Haha thanks for reviews!

I was going to change this for some of you guys cause I actually don't really like this chap for some reason.

Buuutt then I got lazy... :\ Sorry!

I actually wrote this awhile back too... that's why I've been posting pretty fast.

So... Happy holidays guys.

I think I'm going to stop for awhile though. Though the reviews are really motivating!

Thanks to those that actually kept up with this. You guys are crazy!!!! I give you much props =) Love you guys!

The story is actually very long to explain everything and so far I've been shortening it. Ugh. It bugs me on how it turns out. Or some of it anyways. I've never even described each character in detail. That sucks. Anyways enough of my jabbering.

Goodbye for now! =)

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.: So This is How it is:.

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Ren sighed. _Jun plus Sumi is not good. That means I'll get more nagging from her..._ He looked at his sister with weary eyes as they entered the restaurant. She was already scanning the room for Sumi. An irritated vein popped surfaced on his head. _And what's worse is..._

"Fa la la la la! La la la la!" Chocolove sang as they waited to be seat.

_... Someone invited this annoying prick to come along... _Ren struggled to refrain himself from smacking Chocolove and gritted his teeth.

"Ren~" Chocolove called out in a sing-song voice, leaning towards him. "Are you hot? You're sweating."

He quickly pushed his face away. "Get away from me! And don't sing damn it."

"Aw!" Chocolove pouted. "Ren~ Don't be a scooge! It's Christmas! You're suppose to enjoy the people singing, and merrily watch the people dancing, as the white snow falls beautifully. It's-"

Ren was shivering with horror at the way Chocolove was saying his name. It gave him the chills and filled him with disgust. He watched with a outrageous expression as Chocolove went on about something about singing and watching people dancing, until to his relief, Anna smacked him.

"Be quiet! You're disrupting the merriness of Christmas." She demanded and Ren grinned.

_Thank god for Anna, who has the same right of mind as me..._ Ren glanced at her smiling.

"What?" She snapped at Ren, who was staring at her. _What's with this guy?_

Ren shook his head. "Oh nothing. Just glad you hit him." He looked over to Chocolove with a pleased expression, who was crouching on the floor in despair, muttering to himself.

"Please follow me to be seated." The hostess bowed and led them to their table. She passed out their menus and bowed again, smiling. "Someone will come take your order in a little bit, so please take your time to decide."

"That girl was pretty cute." HoroHoro said when the girl walked away. He leaned on his hand, looking down at his menu, so he missed the worried look on Tamao's face.

Hao looked at HoroHoro with a grin. "Most of them are. Ryu is pretty shallow sometimes. He lets looks take over ability... but from what I've seen, their abilities are evenly matched with their looks. So that's probably due to Manta's work." Glancing on stage to see one of the waitresses playing the piano.

"Speaking of them, I want to say hi to them." Yoh said smiling. "I should congratulate them on opening this restaurant. It's the first time I've come here."

"Me too. I heard they got great ratings on this restaurant." HoroHoro announced, turning the page on the menu.

"Hey! What does Frosty the Snowman order at a fast food stand?" Chocolove asked quickly before anyone could stop him. "CHILIBURGERS! HAHAHAHA!"

Ren's irritation spiked when he heard Chocolove's voice. "You... are... going... to... di-" He stopped when he was interrupted by Pirika and Jun's laughing.

"That was good!" Pirika laughed and Chocolove began shining so brightly that the whole room could have been engulfed by his light.

HoroHoro was glowering at the 'comedian' and within a few seconds, his fork was poking Chocolove's nose. Chocolove cried out in horror and shouted angrily at the blue-head. "What was that for?!? Pirika and Jun laughed because..." Chocolove's anger disappeared. "It was actually **berry** funny! HAHAHAHA!"

Without warning, Anna stuffed a napkin into Chocolove's mouth with one swift movement and he frantically tried to removed the napkin before he choked on it, crying out with a muffled noise.

"Hi guys! Welcome to Happiness! Are you guys ready for me to take your order?"

All of them looked away from the amusing Chocolove to see Sumi standing at the side of the table with a warm fuzzy smile. She was dressed in a santa dress with a black belt around her waist and a santa hat rested on her head.

Ren stared and he bet all the others were watching her as well. _She looks rather..._

"CUTE!" Jun squealled and jumped up off her seat to embrace Sumi. "You look so cute Sumi! Long time no see!"

Sumi looked stunned as Jun hugged her and rubbed her cheek against hers in affection. "A-ah! Hi Jun."

"Who thought of this?" Jun questioned excitedly as she looked around to see the other waitresses wearing the same thing. "It's so adorable!"

"Of course! Only a genius like me could come up with such a design like this. Isn't it great?"

They spotted Ryu standing behind them in a santa suit, sparkling with pride because of Jun's comment. "Ryu!" Yoh called out surprised.

"No, not really. It was mainly because you wanted to see some skin." Manta appeared beside him in an elf hat, shaking his head. "That's why those skirts are so short."

"Manta!" Yoh stood up. "Long time no see!"

"I know! Yoh!" Manta rushed to Yoh's side to give him a hug as Ryu knealt before Jun, taking her hand.

"But of course, you are more beautiful than any design I've ever created. My heart only belongs to you, beautiful lady!" Ryu kissed Jun's hand and held it against his warm cheek.

Jun looked startled by Ryu's sudden actions and she unconciously leaned back. Fire erupted around Ren and he stood up, making his way over, speaking in a deadly killer voice. "You... stay... away... from... my... sis-"

"Yo." Ryo tugged at Ryu's ear and pulled him away from Jun's hand. "Boss. I thought you said that you can control yourself before pretty girls."

They all stared at the scene before them as Ryu with his eyes watering, turned to Ryo, who was dressed in an elf outfit, and whined. "Nooo.... I can! I can! But I just met my soulmate! I can't pass this up. This is suppose to happen between us!"

Ryo had on a stoic expression as he gave his boss a jaded look with his arms crossed. "That's a lie."

Ryu hung his head heavily as Ryo turned to Jun and Ren and bowed, apologizing for his boss. "Sorry guys. He's normally like this." His expression was placid as he stared at Ren and Jun.

Jun gazed at Ryo as he turned to Sumi. He smiled warmly at her. "I'll take their order. The other customers were asking for you."

"Okay." Sumi replied and waved to them as she headed to the other tables. "I'll be back guys."

Jun glanced at Ren, who was furrowing his brow. _It seems... this guy doesn't like us... Hm... I wonder why..._

"Cute elf outfit Ryo." Hao commented with a light chuckle when Sumi disappeared.

Ryo reddened and looked away while Ryu fluttered in front of Hao. "Do you think it's creative?"

"Sure. It's very cute. Especially the ones that the girls are wearing." Hao complimented and gave his brother a glance as Yoh made his way over with Manta.

Yoh grabbed Ryu's hand, shaking it. "I just want to say congrats you guys." He patted his friend's back with friendliness. "You guys are doing great, though I never expected this."

Manta gushed with pleasure. "We didn't either. We're just glad that things are working out well."

"Since we're here, do you guys care to join us?" Yoh said in an amiable manner. He gestured to the table with a leisurely expression.

"I would looove to!" Ryu expressed happily and was about to bounce over towards Jun, but Manta quickly grabbed the back of Ryu's shirt.

"Sorry guys! We would love to, but we actually can't because we have to take care of our customers. It wouldn't be right if we just abandoned our employees, but please enjoy yourselves. We'll be back once in awhile to see how you guys are doing." Manta explained and bowed with a polite smile. "And please excuse Ryu here, sometimes he gets a little overexpressive. Sorry if he scared you." Manta gave an apologetic look towards Jun.

She waved her hands to brush it off. "Oh no, it's fine. I understand."

"Okay then." Manta beamed. "I'll let Ryo take your order then. We'll see you guys later."

"Wait Manta." Hao leaned to Manta's ear, so the others wouldn't hear. Whispering, he asked. "Has Ikuto been here?"

Manta leaned back so he could give Hao a concerned glance. Exhaling, he nodded. "Not everyday though, just once every few days. But you know, she hasn't been here except today. Anyways, I got to check up on things, so talk to you later." Manta gave Hao a small smile and dragged Ryu away.

Liz looked over Hao's shoulder curiously as Manta and Ryu made their leave. "What did you ask him?"

Ryo also looked at Hao with intriguing curiosity as he decided to start taking orders from the two younger girls, who were one of the few that were ready to order.

"Oh nothing," Hao turned towards her, plastering on a convincing look with a smirk. "Just some stuff I'm worried about."

Yoh leaned on the table, examining his brother as Liz pouted and sat back on her chair. "Care to share?"

Hao shook his head. "I'm alright. Don't worry. It's nothing important." He looked at Ren and Jun, who were now beginning to make a lot of noise.

"Ren~! You should have stayed with Sumi! See how adorable she is?" Jun cried out as she began shaking Ren's arm. "I could have had a very cute sister-in-law!"

_Curse you Jun... I knew this was going to happen..._ "Ugh! Stop it Jun! I told you already! There was nothing between me and Sumi." Ren attempted to push his sister's arm off.

"You should have made it into something little brother. She's one of those girls that very few people get to meet." Jun finally decided to release his arm and just crossed hers over her chest. She closed her eyes and then secretly peeped one open to look at him. "You know, she's still single, so you can still give it a try."

Ren's eyes unconsciously peered over to Anna, then back to his cup. "I think... Jun... Just let the subject drop..."

Jun had caught his swift eye movement to Anna when she followed to where he was looking towards. She sighed. "Fine..." As she was about to look back towards her menu, she spotted Pirika sneaking a quick look over her menu at Ren with a disappointed face. _Oh dear brother, you make things so complicated..._

* * *

"Hi guys! Here are your orders." Sumi said as she brought a couple plates of food with Ryo following behind her. They passed out the plates of food and had to make a second trip because of their large amount of people.

Sumi grinned when she was done putting down the last plate. "If you guys need anything else, please tell me. Just call me over okay?"

"Thank You!" HoroHoro thanked happily and watch her nod in response as she began making her way back to her other customers.

"Wait Sumi." Yoh said and grabbed her wrist to stop her. He stood up off his seat and everyone watched in wonder what Yoh was doing as they munched on their food. He whispered something into her ear and Sumi leaned back laughing.

"Really?" Sumi's eyes danced with mischief. "Are you sure?"

Yoh nodded with his lopsided smile. "If you can do it."

Sumi only giggled again. "I'll try, but if I die in the process I blame you Yoh Asakura."

He laughed in response as he sat back down. "Alright then. I'll just owe you one. Thanks."

"Mmkay." Sumi replied merrily as she started walking away with Ryo leading the way. "I have to do some stuff first, so I'll do it later okay?"

Yoh nodded and saw everyone staring at him. He lifted his fork and took in some pasta into his mouth as Anna turned and asked him what he was expecting to hear.

"What did you ask her to do?" Anna asked and everyone leaned in, wanting to hear what he was going to say.

"Oh! Um..." Yoh paused for the suspense and then just winked. "It's a secret." He started chuckling when he saw all their disappointed faces.

"Aw come on Yoh! What's up with everyone and secrets?" HoroHoro cried out unhappily.

Anna looked at Yoh warily. _It better not involve me somehow..._ She took a sip of her water. _For some reason... I feel like something disasterous is going to happen..._

"Knock Knock!" Chocolove cried out.

"Who's there?" Pirika answered back before anyone could stop her.

"Beanstalk!" Chocolove glittered, hearing her response.

"Be- Mmf!" A hand quickly covered Pirika's mouth and she looked startled to see Lyserg stopping her.

He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. "Please don't encourage him."

"How about we tie him up before he decides to tell another one of his jokes?" HoroHoro stood up holding a cloth tightly in his hand and wearing a diabolical grin along with Ren.

"Sounds great..." Ren agreed, sharing the same dark look and devilish gleam.

"Ahh! Noo! I promise I'll stop!" Chocolove cowered down into his seat as far down as he could. "I promise!"

HoroHoro and Ren sat back down. "You better! Otherwise, you know what you're dealing with." HoroHoro threatened and pointed at him. "And don't brainwash my sister!"

"You'll probably not be able to talk properly anymore if it continues." Ren muttered darkly and Chocolove shook his head furiously. "We'll make sure of that."

"I won't! I won't! I promise!" He suddenly began stuffing his face with bread to indicate that he won't talk anymore.

A chair pulled out beside Yoh and Ryu appeared beside him with a happy pleased look. "So what do you guys think of the food?"

"It's great actually! No wonder you guys got such great ratings on this restaurant." Yoh complimented with HoroHoro nodding furiously in approval.

Ryu chuckled merrily. "Of course! They told me and Manta that the three things that they like best about this restaurant is one," He held a finger up. "The food is utterly delicious. Two," A second finger joined his other one. "The cleanliness and nice atomsphere it has. And lastly," Ryu put his hand down with a grin. "our employees."

He rest his chin upon his wrist and sighed. "I honestly think our employees provide great service to our customers, but, though I hate to say it, it seems that the customers come back because they lust." Ryu sat up and leaned against the back of his chair with his arms and legs crossing over as he closed his eyes. "But of course, what did I expect? They're rich fools with too much time and money on their hands."

Hao raised an eyebrow, speaking in a questionable tone. "They lust Ryu?"

He opened his eyes to spot Sumi pouring water for some of their customers. "Yeah... If you noticed, most of our employees are fairly attractive, so most of our customers hit on our employees... and they keep coming back. Not that it's a bad thing." Ryu pointed at a cute waitress and the two men she was serving. "But, take that for example."

They all turned towards the direction Ryu pointed. The girl had just served the two men their food, but one of the men had started talking to the waitress and had clearly indicated for her to keep them company. From what they could tell, she had refused and apologized. The man gave her a sad pleading look, but she refused again, bowing. The man finally nodded with a smile and let her leave.

"Those men were more respectful towards our employees, but sometimes they have to face rather aggressive and demanding customers, which makes it difficult." Ryu said once Hao and the others had their attention on him once again. "Sure, we taught them how to deal with them and we tell our boys to watch out for the girls, but even then, there are times when drunk girls hit on the guys and make it difficult for them as well." Ryu then laughed. "However! It is always very interesting to watch at times, and we do make lots of profit from the long hours they spend here and the huge tips they leave." He intertwined his fingers, sparkling with happiness. "I'm so proud of our success!"

Yoh and the others sweatdropped at Ryu's 360 turn of personality, while Hao was just trying to hold back from snickering at Ryu. Putting on a serious face, Hao nodded in agreement. "I'm glad you're enjoying it." He leaned forward towards his tall friend, but found only an empty seat. Hao blinked in surprise. _When did he disappear?_

"Oh my lady! I can't bear to part with you. You have not only captured my heart, but my entire soul~"

They turned their heads to see Ryu, kneeling beside Jun's chair and holding her hand between his. Jun looked frightened by his sudden appearance and tried to free her hand from his grip. Ren's anger exploded and he pushed Ryu's head away from his sister's hand.

"Get away from her!" He demanded as Ryu pushed back.

"No! She's my soulmate!" He shoved his head back against Ren's hand and keeping a firm grip on Jun's hand.

"Soulmate?!? You just met her!"

"It's called fate! Love at first sight!"

Hao just started laughing at the scene before him and Yoh gave a worried chuckle as he watched his two friends. Liz shook her head and just continued sipping her drink, watching Hao's expression. _He looks really happy... _She smiled to herself. _I wish he would stay like this..._

"Hi Anna!!!"

Anna sprayed the drink she was drinking all over Sumi's face, who had popped up in her face without warning. She coughed and patted her chest rapidly to breathe normally.

Hao had started laughing more harder at the new scene and the others who were at the table also joined in. Meanwhile, Ren, Ryu, and Jun were wearing confused expressions since they missed the incident. Sumi stood up straight wiping her face with her hand with a slight grin.

"Uh... Sorry Anna..." Sumi said as she took a napkin HoroHoro was handing her. "Thanks." She smiled and began drying her face.

Liz stopped laughing and wiped a tear from her eye. Though she didn't like Sumi, the incident caught her off guard and she found it hilarious that Sumi's face was dripping in juice. She heard Hao's laughter gradually died down beside her and turned into small snickers.

"Sumi! I'm going to kill you!" Anna stood up, grabbing the white cotton on Sumi's outfit and pulling her towards her in a threatening matter.

Her response was to continue smiling into Anna's face despite the closeness between them. "Sorry Anna. I didn't mean to do that, but I need to talk to you very quick."

"About what?" Anna asked guardedly.

"Wait, shouldn't you be working Sumi?" Ryu pointed at her, his boss-mode taking back into place. "This isn't time to be fooling around. And please change into a spare Sumi. Our customers don't want to see you like that."

Sumi bowed to Ryu. "Sorry, but it'll just be very quick!" She grabbed Anna's hand and dashed away.

Once they disappeared, Yoh turned to Ryu with a bright smile. "Don't give her a hard time Mr. Ryunosuke Umemiya. I asked her to do something for me."

Ryu blinked, hearing his full name. "What did you ask her to do?"

Yoh grinned and nodded towards the stage. HoroHoro choked flabbergasted. "Don't tell me that you-"

"Attention everyone!" Sumi's voice rang out loudly through the restaurant drowning out all the noise, and the customers began cheering and shouting when their attention became focused on the stage. Sumi gave a small bow with a bright smile, behind her they could see Anna looking confused and lost. All the waiters and waitresses had also stopped to see what Sumi was doing. "First of all, Merry Christmas! I would like to thank you all for coming out tonight and joining us at this restaurant. We very much appreciate it, but that isn't the main reason I'm up here right now..." Sumi paused.

Someone from the tables below shouted. "Are you going to sing?" And more cheers followed.

Sumi gave a light laugh and shook her head. "I'm here to just make a wish come true."

The color on Anna's face disappeared as she finally grasped what was happening. _Oh damn you Sumi! I'm __**AM**__ going to kill you later!_

"This is a Christmas present from Anna to the Orangehead, so be awed guys! Presenting Anna with... Cutie Honey!!!" Sumi shouted and Anna's face paled even further if it was able to. "Just kidding!" Sumi giggled at Anna's expression. "Now for the real deal." Sumi faced the audience and bowed. "Presenting Anna, who will be singing Black Diamond by Nana Mizuki!"

Sumi handed Anna the microphone and gave her a soft shove towards the front of the stage as the customers cheered. She quickly darted off the stage before Anna could stop her and turned around to watch Anna with a merry smile, giving her a wink as the violin music started.

_Damn you Sumi! _Anna cursed again, but noticed that the crowd was watching her with their full attention. She sighed. _I guess I have to do this... _She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _And you're going to pay later._

"You know she's going to attempt to murder you for forcing her on the stage right?" Ryo appeared beside Sumi, giving her a pitiful look, and holding out a spare outfit.

She only grinned as she took it from his hands. "Probably... but it's worth it because things might work out for Yoh and Anna." Sumi looked at Ryo, who raised an eyebrow.

"Then why didn't you say Yoh's name? Who the hell is Orangehead?"

She laughed. "Who else is addicted to oranges? And there's the fact that... they're rich people. Known daughters and sons of wealthy big famous families." A knowing smirk played at her lips. "Do you think I can let a room filled with other wealthy people, who knows who they are, in on some gossip that they probably would spread?" Sumi gave a sympathetic look. "They have their name and status to uphold... And with their current problem, they can't expose anything at this moment."

_Damn those rich people..._ Ryo cursed, but turned to Sumi curiously. "What problem?"

_The arranged marriage problem... _Sumi winked. "You'll find out later. I got to go change first." Sumi turned and headed to the back locker rooms as she heard Anna begin her first line.

"Ichiban no negai goto Oshiete..." Anna's voice echoed into the microphone smoothly. "Anata no hoshii mono..."

Hao's and everyone's mouths dropped open when they heard Anna's voice, of course with the exception of Ren, HoroHoro, and Yoh, who already heard her voice before. Yoh was grinning and shimmering with happiness as he watched Anna.

Ren's heart thumped roughly against his chest as he listened to her singing. _Damn... Go away..._

_Man... It still surprises me when I hear her..._ HoroHoro spotted the 'Orangehead' sparkling and he smiled.

"S-She can sing?" Hao stuttered and finally croaked out as he turned to see Yoh nodding joyfully. "And this is what you asked Sumi to do?" He saw his twin nod again and he turned his attention back to the stage.

_Wow... Anna's amazing..._ Jeanne watched her friend in astonishment at her capabilities. _No wonder Yoh likes her..._

_Wah... I would have never matched up to her if I were to compete against her for Yoh... _Tamao stared, both astounded and dejected.

Pirika noticed Ren's face mixed with emotions and she turned back to Anna with a determined expression. _I must learn from Anna! Maybe I can get Ren to notice me more..._

"Furueru te de inori o sasagete..." She sang and sweatdropped, seeing the others watching her intensely. "Anata no hoshii mono..."

Sumi emerged halfway through Anna's song and saw the crowd captivated by her. She grinned, pleased. Then she spotted Keigo motioning for her to head over to him as he smirked at her.

Hao was watching Anna on stage when he spotted Sumi making her way across the restaurant. His eyes followed her involuntarily and saw her approach Keigo with a smile. He gritted his teeth. _How long have they've been there?_ Keigo was sitting at a table, along with the twins Takuya and Toshiro, and surprisingly the Hanagumi girls, Kanna, Macchi, and Mari were also there. One of the twins was holding a camcorder towards the stage, so he probably was recording Anna's singing.

Keigo got up off his chair when Sumi arrived and he leaned towards her. "Since Anna is singing, does it mean that you're going to sing as well?"

Sumi crossed her arms, looking up at his handsome smug face with raised eyebrows. "Says who? I still have to serve the customers. I thought you needed something." She saw Keigo shake his head. "Okay then... Call me if you need anything."

Keigo grabbed Sumi's arm when she turned to leave and she stopped, looking at him. "Are you going to consider it? I mean don't you have to perform like all the other employees that work here?"

"I don't have to perform. Manta says it's optional, but we just get tipped more if we do. I mean there are some days when I don't even touch the stage." Sumi pointed out. "So I'm probably not today because there's a lot of customers."

"Aw come on Sumi. I want to compare your singing to Keigo's. I missed out the time you performed at school so please Sumi?" Takuya had turned his attention towards the two and he leaned on the table, eyes pleading. " I mean you made Anna sing. That isn't fair."

"And... She's probably thinking of many ways to murder you without getting caught." Kanna had also turned to join in on the conversation.

"Are you guys contemplating my death?" Sumi pointed at them accusingly. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess I'll consider it."

Keigo grinned. "Thanks..." He touched a lock of hair resting on her shoulder and lifted it between his fingers. Her hair pressed against his lips and he smiled down at her. "You aren't wearing your hat..."

She was watching him until he spoke and that threw her back to the present moment. "Oh..." She said slowly, then she explained. "That's because my hat got sticky and we didn't have any spares." She noticed Keigo was staring at her intensely so she quickly continued speaking. "I have to go work otherwise I'll get in trouble, so I'll see you later." Sumi turned and hastily walked away, her hair slipping out of his hand and heart skipping nervously.

"You shouldn't scare her like that with that look of yours."

Keigo smirked, watching Sumi walk away from him and turned around to face Takuya, who was resting his head on the palm of his hand. "I shouldn't huh?" He noticed Mari watching him, but he ignored it and sat back down.

"Yeah... And what happens if she finds out that you go around knocking people out? Wouldn't she get more scared?" Takuya pointed out with a smug look.

Keigo chuckled. "You're right. But hey, I've stopped didn't I?" He shrugged carelessly, turning his attention back to Anna on stage.

"True that." Takuya agreed and focused back to the stage as well. "But you can't get rid of your past."

_Hmm... That's true... There's still a big difference between me and those rich idiots despite the fact that I'm living on their level now._ Keigo thought, feeling repulsive by the fact.

"Subete furi kitte Yuganda yozora ni..." Anna finished the last line with ease. "Kuroi Diamond Black Diamond...." And when the music ended, she bowed. "Thank you all for bearing with me tonight and I... _especially _ would like to thank Sumi for giving me this opportunity." Anna said sarcastically, voice dripping with sugary sweet venom and eyes gleaming. "And I'll be sure to show you how _entirely _grateful I am. Thank you once again." Anna bowed again and got down off the stage hastily.

Sumi was serving drinks to her customers when she heard Anna make her short speech. Her eyes grew wide and she spotted Anna glaring at her from the stage. _Oh man... I stand out cause I don't have my hat!_ Sumi's eyes darted around as she tried to see if there was anywhere to hide when Anna quickly made her way off the stage and towards her. _Ahh!_ Sumi's head screamed in panic as Anna somehow miraculously appeared before her with a scary devilish smile.

Sumi frozed and chuckled nervously. "Hi Anna. That was a unbelievable performance you did there."

"Oh it was, was it?" Anna smiled freakishly with a dark aura surrounding her. "Of course, I'll have to thank you for letting me do it on my own will..."

"Oh, it's okay Anna. I still have to go help out the customers, so I'll catch you later!" Sumi attempted to make a quick exit, out of Anna's deadly path, but Anna grabbed the back of Sumi's outfit.

"It's okay! They can wait." Her voice sounded hard and tense.

Sumi turned her head, shivering to see Anna raging with fire. _Nooo!!!_ Sumi tried to run, but to no avail when Anna started pulling her towards the table.

"It was Yoh who made you do this right?" She assumed, clenching her fists with her knuckles cracking. "I'll make him pay along with you! When I get done with you guys, they'll never be able to identify your bodies at all... They won't be able to tell if you were even human."

Hearing Anna's lines, Sumi paled and desperately struggled against her. _Why??? I don't want to die yet!!!_

Yoh started sweating uncontrollably when he saw Anna making her way over with a dark purple onimous flame surrounding her. She was dragging Sumi by the collar, who was trying to escape Anna's grasp by waving her arms frantically and running her feet wildly.

Everyone moved away from Yoh, leaving him laughing nervously. HoroHoro saluted. "It was really nice knowing you Yoh. I hope you survive this."

"Yoh Asakura!" Anna cried out angrily and Yoh grimaced, hearing his name.

"Yes Anna?" Yoh somehow managed a lopsided smile, deciding to feign innocence.

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUMI DO THIS TO ME! DO YOU KNOW HOW EMBARRASSING THAT WAS?" Anna yelled. "YOU DO NOT FORCE PEOPLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT EVEN IF YOU DO HAVE THE POWER TO!" She pointed at Hao with accusation, who looked bewildered. "DON'T LEARN FROM THIS FOOL HERE! HE'S A BAD INFLUENCE!"

_How does this involve me?_ Hao scratched his head as steam rose out of Anna's ears and Liz glared at Anna with infuriation.

"Don't you dare bad-mouth Hao!" Liz piped up, integrating herself into the conversation.

Anna fumed and shot back. "Shut up and stay out of this Pin-head!" Her eyes flew back to Yoh.

Liz opened her mouth to retaliate, enraged at the comment, but Hao's hand covered Liz's mouth quickly and he shook his head. _Man... Anna's really riled... What are you going to do Yoh?_

Yoh pulled off a laugh. "What are you talking about Anna?" He shrugged. "I thought you were amazing up there though."

Anna clutched her fist, irritated and shaking with annoyance. _One punch Yoh, and I can knock you out!_ She raised her fist and pulled back her arm. _A couple more and that nice face of yours would no longer exist! This is what you get for messing with me._

Sumi popped up in front of Anna, hands up. "Wait Anna. Was it really that embarrassing? I thought you were wonderful too."

She pulled her arm back and crossed them over her chest with a humph, still pissed off. "Hell yeah! Wonderful my ass. It was freaking embarrassing. I would like to see you try it. Don't ever freaking throw me out there like that without warning!" She glared menacingly at the two soon-to-be-dead idiots before her. "It was like skinning me alive."

Both Yoh and Sumi sweatdropped at her comparison. _I guess she's right. I wouldn't know how to react to it either._ Sumi quickly came up with an idea, anything to avoid Anna's upcoming massacre on both herself and Yoh. "I-If... I go up there Anna and sing like you did, do you think you could forgive us and not hurt us?"_  
_

Anna raised an eyebrow, her anger slowly simmering away. "As if that would make up for what you did."

"B-but..." Sumi stuttered, but looked relieved. _Actually I don't want to go up there... Toshiro has a camcorder.... And since I asked him to record Anna singing, he might record me if I go up there too... _"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Anna caught Sumi's expression and smiled to herself devilishly. "Actually... I changed my mind. I want you to go up there on the stage and apologize to me." She pointed at the girl before her. "Then when you're singing... You have to run around to each table, singing to the customers. And when you get to our table, you have to finish the song and start singing a Christmas carol for us."

Sumi's mouth dropped open. "Noo!! Anna! That is ten times worse than just singing on stage! Plus-plus, I-I don't think my boss will be okay with that."

"If Yoh convices his friends to let you do that, then he will be forgiven and I won't beat him into a pulp." Anna saw Yoh gulped and looked at Sumi, who was looking nervous. "And if you do this, I will also forgive you."

"What! That's not fair! Why does Yoh have it easier?" Sumi complained.

Anna blushed, closing her eyes and turning her head to the side. "That's because Yoh already gave me something, so I can't be too hard on him." Anna looked back to Sumi. "However, since you didn't make me sing that horrible girly song, I will let you choose what you want to sing... BUT!" She held up a finger. "Sing some sort of happy song, not some sad sappy love crap like that one time at school... _And_ you have to look like you're enjoying it, otherwise I'll have to think of more things to add to what you have to do."

Sumi sighed and looked at Yoh, who started to pat her back sympathetically. "Really?"

"Yeah, so get a move on." Anna demanded and pulled out her chair to sit back down.

Yoh was still patting her back when Ryu jumped in front of them. Giving her a thumbs up, he shouted merrily. "I'm 100% okay with it! It'll actually increase our customer's ratings for this restaurant and let them enjoy what's left of Christmas! I bet the customers would like it." He put his hands on his hips and laughed. "It's up to you Sumi! Work hard!"

Sumi hung her head, tormented. "Yoh didn't even do anything!" She cried out unhappily as Ryu began pushing her enthusiatically towards the direction of the stage. "What about Manta?" She managed to ask, hoping to save herself.

"He'll agree! Don't worry! He always likes my outrageous ideas!" Ryu shouted to her as he watched her walk slowly and hesitantly to the stage.

"I do not." Manta appeared beside Ryu with his arms crossed. "But you still do it anyways despite what I say." He looked at Ryu, who was laughing. "You're excited because you'll get to hear her sing?"

"Hey, customers like her singing. She just hasn't sang on our stage in awhile because of that one dude. But he's not here!" Ryu clasped his hands together happily. "Whoo hoo! Lots of tips tonight!"

Manta sighed and turned his attention back to the stage. Sumi had made her way to the microphone now, looking embarrassed.

"Hi everyone..." Sumi spoke into the mic, with a uncomfortable smile. She saw Toshiro lift up his camcorder and pointed at her as everyone had her attention once again. _Great... I'm going to be haunted by this day for the rest of my life... _"I would like to apologize for presenting Anna earlier without her permission. So... sorry Anna." She bowed her head a bit.

"She said that it was embarrassing to be up here and that she didn't think she did wonderful, but I disagree with that. I thought she was great! Don't you guys agree?" Sumi grinned to the crowd and the customers cheered back.

"Look!" Ryu pointed at Sumi proudly and chuckled at Manta. "She's a natural."

Sumi got more comfortable with the audience as she continued speaking into the microphone. "Yeah. So... I guess I'm going to sing in return for embarrassing her and as an apology so she can forgive me. So please bear with me. I apologize if I sing to your disliking, whether it be my voice or the song." She smiled as the audience cheered some more. _I hope this is happy enough for Anna... _Letting out an exhaled breath as the song began playing, she spoke. "Here's Dream Star by Generous."

"Kizukeba sora ni wa... Osanai koro mita..." Sumi began walking off the stage and the audience watched her curiously. She smiled, singing as she walked around, pausing at each table, like Anna had said. The customers whooped loudly and some even joined in with her, getting up and dancing around her.

"Sekai wa..." Sumi sang loudly and grinned at the camcorder Toshiro was holding, and spun around the table to head to the next one. "Kaete miseru... Mae wo mireba..." She was actually enjoying it.

_How embarrassing... _Anna sweatdropped at the fact that Sumi actually listened to her, but she seemed like she was having fun as well. _I hope she isn't really going to sing a Christmas carol at our table... _She shuddered about all the attention focusing on them. _What was I thinking... But seeing her do this... she'll probably do it... _Anna smiled. _I'll just stop her before she does..._

"Whooo!! Go Sumi!!!" HoroHoro stood up and cheered along with the other customers. "Whooo!"

Chocolove, seeing HoroHoro's enthusiasm, decided to join in. "Yeahhh! Go Sumi! It's your birthday! Go Sumi! Whoo!"

For once, Anna and Ren didn't smack him, because their focus was too drawn to Sumi to pay any notice of him screaming beside them.

Ryu was glittering proudly at his employee and thinking about the profits they would be making for that night, while Manta was still hesitant about the whole situation as he watched her. _Its like she's throwing herself out there... That's not safe... Though I can't stop her now...._ He turned to partner to voice his opinion, but saw that Ryu's smile had faded and was frowning with furrowed brows. "Ryu, what's wrong?"

When his tall friend didn't answer, Manta followed his gaze to the entrance. He felt his palms start becoming moist and his eyes flickered to Sumi, but she was still singing, unaware that Ikuto was making his way towards her. "Ryu-" Manta quickly snapped his head back to his friend, but saw that he was already beginning to make his way over towards the intimidating rich business man. Without thinking, he quickly followed him.

Ryu intercepted Ikuto, which kept him from entering too far to be noticed. "Excuse me Sir." He looked passed Ikuto's shoulder to the hostess and saw that she was watching them with frightened eyes. He focused back on the man before him. "How may I help you today?" Ryu smiled.

Ikuto looked at him warily, but answered. "I would like to talk to one of your employees if you may." He attempted to go past him, but Ryu took a step and blocked his path once more.

With a frozen smile, Ryu asked. "And may I ask what is the problem? Perhaps I can solve it without disrupting our other customers' experience at this restaurant."

Irritated, Ikuto glared at the owner of the restaurant. "Is it allowed that you interfere with my business when it doesn't concern you at all?"

Ryu nodded, keeping a calm tone. "When it involves my employees, I have the right to know what happens to them, especially at work because it is my responsibility as an employer."

Ikuto rolled his eyes impatiently, but wanting to speed it up, he replied. "I have an offer to make to one of your employees." He tried to go past him once again, but found himself still staring at the face of the tall man.

"May I ask what kind of offer?" Ryu questioned.

Ikuto growled and snapped harshly. "A job." Then giving a scoff, he smirked. "A job where I monopolize her time and she only serves me." Shoving Ryu to the side, Ikuto made his way into the restaurant.

Ryu grabbed his arm to stop him. "Hold up, I don't-"

A fist slammed into his face and he was knocked backwards, falling to the ground. "Ryu!" He heard Manta cried out as he laid on the floor for a few seconds, trying to catch his breath from the unexpecting reaction.

"Butsukari au hodo..." Sumi turned her head towards the direction when she heard Manta's voice yelling out Ryu's name. The first thing she saw was Ikuto reaching out to grab her and her heart jumped, completely caught off guard. "Tsukurareru watashi no sonzai..." The next few seconds happened very quickly as she dropped the microphone with a loud clatter when Keigo grabbed her wrist and whipped her backwards. Takuya caught her shoulders as she watched stunned as Keigo stood between her and Ikuto.

_Ikuto..._ Her heart pounded, frightened at the fact that he was so close to her without her realizing it.

Toshiro had stuck his arm out to stop the Hanagumi girls from following Keigo and Takuya as he held the camcorder in his hand, still recording. "Stay here guys. Let them be." He ordered the girls, who stopped and just watched.

---

Hao had spotted Ryu conversating with Ikuto and he jumped up alert. _Ikuto!_

"Hao, what's up?" Liz asked, looking away from her sister to see Hao run off without answering her. She gritted her teeth. _Damn you Hao!_ But she noticed that he was running towards Ryu and the man she had previously seen with Yuna, and Ren running after him.

"Hao!" Yoh called out, seeing his brother's hasty decision. With a worried look to Anna, he ran after his twin.

Anna hesitated, noting that the man she was going to be heading towards would be the man that she encountered during the street race. "Idiots..." She muttered and headed after Yoh.

"Wait what's going on?" HoroHoro stood up, along with Jun with Sumi's voice singing in the background. They looked after their friends who disappeared from their table. Without much thought, HoroHoro and Jun chased them.

"Don't leave me out of the fun! Hey!" Chocolove exclaimed tailing behind them, while Lyserg looked at the girls and ordered as he got up out of his chair. "Stay here."

Jeanne crossed her arms, frowning as she looked at the empty table when Lyserg also disappeared. "I'm not staying here." She humphed and stood up.

"Wait Jeanne. It's not safe. We should stay here." Tamao said, looking at the pretty girl.

Pirika nodded beside her. "He's really scary. Plus they already all went so they'll be fine. There's not much we can do anyways."

Liz sighed, looking at the younger girls. "He seems kind of dangerous doesn't he?"

They nodded, but Jeanne was already starting to leave the table, making her way over to them. "I'm still going anyways."

"Jeanne!" They cried out, but in the end, all of them ended up standing in the big group, looking at Ikuto's backside behind Hao.

-------

Ikuto gazed calmly at Keigo's protective expression before him and with a small turn of his head, he glanced with the corner of his eyes to catch the little rich pretty boy, Hao Asakura and his group of friends standing behind him. He chuckled inwardly, wetting his lips as he flicked his eyes to the girl behind Keigo. She looked calm and collected, but at the same time, he could tell that she was frightened by his presence. Giving a careless shrug, he asked. "Why do you guys make it seem as if I'm a bad guy? I haven't even done anything." He gave a menacing glance to the boy before him. "It is a violation right to a customer if you gang up on me like that."

"Customers don't come in looking like they're on a hunt for a prey... so I'm just stopping it before it happens." Keigo replied arrogantly.

"And customers are those who are chosen to be served. Therefore, we also have a right to refuse to serve, so that doesn't make you a customer." Ryu and Manta appeared on the right side of Ikuto. Ryu bowed. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I do not take kindly to those who resort to violence to get their way."

Ikuto only laughed, smirking at Ryu. "I'm not a customer right? So I don't have to listen to you." He turned back to face Keigo, ignoring Ryu, who was struggling to hold his patience. "Oh Keigo, Keigo, Keigo..." He grabbed his chin roughly and glared. "You should be thanking me instead of threatening me." Ikuto tilted his head back superiorly. "Think of those times that I've helped you through... All those-"

Keigo glowered as he pulled Ikuto's arm off. "Thank you for what?" He threw his hand down, growling. "You made my life miserable."

He looked at the boy haughtily. "I let you live... so as a repayment, you should obey me and move out of my way. I have something to request of that young lady over there."

"No!" A mixture of voices sounded around Ikuto and he gave an entertained look back towards Hao, who was frowning.

"My my my... Not only is Keigo only constantly rebelling against me, but I have these little rich pampered children interfering into my business where they don't belong." Ikuto smirked. "Hao Asakura is it? And my favorite, Ren Tao..." His eyes flickered to Anna, finally noticing her. "Ah! Anna Kyoyama! I especially haven't forgotten you."

Anna flinched hearing that he remembered her and Yoh stood in front of her protectively. _This man... What does he want from me?_ Her head cried out.

"I would like to one day return the favor to you for that one night." A dark aura gradually grew around him. "Not only that, but I'll make sure it's much more memorable for you. Something you won't ever forget."

Remembering that she kicked him, Anna only clenched her fist, aware of how dangerous his threats could be. _What does he mean?_

"Oh? You aren't going to say anything dear Anna?" He feigned a surprised look. "I was expecting a snappy remark or something..." A bemused smile played on his lips and he continued in a lower tone. "Since I'm threatening you..."

"I'm sorry Sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave once again. If you are threatening my customers as well as my employees, it is absolutely against our restaurants policy to serve you here." Ryu's voice was now hard and tense. "If you refuse to leave once more, I'm going to have to force you to leave."

Ikuto turned to face to owner. "Oh, you will regret what you are doing to me. I can take matters to a whole different level. Right now, I'm barely grazing the surface of your lives... Because each of you..." He gazed around at them with a smirk. "... Have so much to lose..."

"What's your motive? Why are you disturbing us and threatening Anna?" Hao growled.

"Ah... so Hao Asakura does care about his fiancee after all." Ikuto teased, chuckling when he saw the unexpected surprise on Hao's face.

He glared at the man, remembering that at the street race, Ikuto had also stated that he knew Anna was his fiancee. "Why do you know so much about us?" _Grandmother haven't officially announced it yet except to those who were at the house the other day..._

"Oh... now... that is a secret..." He turned when he saw Ryu taking a step towards him. Holding up his hands to indicate Ryu not to go further, he spoke. "Don't worry. I'm leaving..." However, Ikuto took a step towards Keigo, who stood defensively. "...But let me speak to her first..."

Ryu grabbed his arm. "No. Please leave now before I have to contact the police."

He pushed off Ryu's hand, glaring angrily. The other customers had stood up and were now joining Ryu, telling him to leave. Looking around, annoyed by the noise, he gave one last brush on his arm and hissed. "Fine. I'm leaving..." He pointed at Ryu. "But you're going to regret it..." Hurriedly making his exit, he brushed past Hao and the others without looking back.

Ren spotted Ryo standing off in the distance barely visible, watching them. And when Ikuto left, Ryo turned away and headed into the kitchen. _Was he hiding?_

Anna shoved through Hao and Ren and darted in front of Keigo, grabbing his shirt. "Who is this Ikuto guy? What is your relation with him?"

Keigo was leaning down because Anna, being shorter than him had pulled him down so she could glare at him face-to-face. Keigo grabbed her hand, pulling it off his shirt and stood back up straight. "Who knows?" He said dryly. "He's just some guy with too much lust for destruction. Stay away from him. Don't get involved."

Anna grabbed his sleeve when Keigo had started to turn away from her. "Damn it Keigo. I'm already involved, so you better explain to me what the hell is going on!"

"I don't know alright?" He threw his hand down to shake off Anna's hand. "I've been trying to escape from him my whole life and when I thought he was gone, he comes back. What does he want from you? I don't know. What is he planning? I don't know. Why is he interfering with your lives? Who knows? Cause I sure don't. So stop asking me like I'm some magic eight-ball."

"Then who the hell am I suppose to ask?" Anna fumed angrily at Keigo's reaction. "Hey! Answer me you jerk!"

Keigo was walking away from her towards Sumi and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her over to make sure she was alright. Anna was about to go after him, but Yoh grabbed her arm and said. "Leave him Anna. I don't think he knows."

"Then who the hell knows?" Anna turned to Yoh crossly.

_She's scared..._ Yoh scratched his head. "I'm not sure, but how about I go do some research and find out what's going on okay?" He grinned. "I'll be sure to tell you if I find anything. And I'll protect you if anything happens."

Anna felt her insides relax a bit and a blush threatened her cheeks. "Fine. If I happen to die or something, I blame you." She lightly joked and spotted Hao passing them to approach Keigo. She looked back at the others. HoroHoro, Jun, and Chocolove were pestering Ren with their questions while Lyserg stood beside them wearing a sympathetic look. Tamao and Pirika were clinging to each other, gossiping about what happened while Liz and Jeanne stood by each other with Liz looking irritated and Jeanne watching Lyserg. Anna looked back to Yoh, who was smiling at her and she sighed.

Ryu picked up the microphone off the floor and tapped it. "Thank you everyone and I would like to sincerely apologize for the distubance earlier." He bowed along with Manta. "Though we hoped you like Sumi's singing even if it was cut short. But anyways, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night here and Merry Christmas!" Christmas songs started playing and everything resumed to how it originally was.

Everyone returned back to the table as Ryu spoke with Hao coming back last. Ren looked at Hao as he sat down. "So what happened?"

"Nothing." He grabbed his drink and took a sip. "And Sumi probably won't be joining us tonight."

"Howcome?" Jun asked. She wanted to ask the younger girl some questions and applaud her on her voice, though she didn't get to finish.

Keeping a straight face, he answered. "Because she said she was going to spend time with Keigo after work... so we can probably bounce as soon as we're done." Remembering how smug Keigo looked when Sumi apologized that she had already promised Keigo to hang out with him, Hao balled up his fists under the table.

"Aww... Look Ren. You have competition..." Jun said, crossing her arms with a sigh.

Ren looked at his older sister despairingly, then at Hao. _Oh you don't know..._ He looked for Sumi and saw her serving her customers. _Damn... Trouble sure follows you huh? _He suddenly felt a clouded aura of despair oozing towards him and turned to see Pirika looking at her lap, wearing a thoughtful sad expression. "Uh..."

Pirika looked up and her eyes met his.

Ren gave her a questioning look. "Is everything okay Pirika?"

Jun mentally hit her forehead when she saw how Ren reacted. _Gosh Ren, sometimes I think you are too self-absorb with yourself to notice how others feel about you..._

"Ahh, yeah. I'm fine!" Pirika brightened up and replied happily. "Don't worry!"

HoroHoro eyed his little sister's face and Ren's suspiciously. _Don't tell me... _A horrifying thought suddenly hit him. _Ugh... No way... Don't tell me that Pirika likes Ren now! _Ren still looked confused by her sudden change in reaction so HoroHoro gritted his teeth tightly.

Lyserg spotted his blue-head friend looking tense and he chuckled lightly. "Don't break the table now HoroHoro."

The blue-haired boy turned to Lyserg, frowning. "I won't." His eyes flickered to Jeanne sitting beside Lyserg for a second and then he looked away.

"Alright guys! Let's head back!" Yoh said and stood up, grinning. "Meet up at my house yeah?"

A round of agreement went around the table as Yoh smiled down at Anna. He reached down, holding out his hand beside her. "Let's go Anna." He said cheerfully.

She stared at his hand and then back at his face. _Uh..._ Hesitating, she placed her hand slowly into his. _I'm... letting... my... guard... down..._

Yoh grinned and held onto her hand tightly, pulling her out of the chair and lead her towards the door. _She trusts me... Don't worry Anna... I'll keep you safe..._

Anna looked at their intertwined fingers as Yoh walked in front of her. Her face was red and she was fully aware of it, as much as she was aware of the others watching them. _Why... Why is it that I feel so utterly helpless before you Yoh?_

_I don't understand..._

_This feeling..._

_I feel warm..._

_I feel like I'm falling apart..._

_...How scary... I've never felt this weak before..._

----

Me?!? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am and most of all, I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my life the way I feel when I'm with you. ---Dirty Dancing


	23. Chapter 23

--------

.: So This is How it is:.

------

"You haven't been here yet have you?" Keigo asked as he led Sumi up the stairs that led to the park.

She shook her head, gazing around. "Nope, I haven't."

Keigo grinned in the dark. Though she couldn't really see him, she could tell that he was pleased with her answer. "Kind of figured. Well, very few people actually come out here to the park. It's actually really nice. Both during the day and night." He wanted to take her hand, but decided against it. "Since it sits on top of this hill, it has the most awesome view!"

Sumi chuckled at his excitement. "Well, I can see the stars very clearly."

"When you get to the top, it's a lot better." Keigo smirked. They were close now and they headed up the snow covered field to reach a park bench.

The city lights below glittered at her, making a nice beautiful pattern of light bright colors. Above her, the stars shone brightly in the clear dark blue sky. Sumi smiled and inhaled at the sight. "You're right. It's really nice up here."

He nodded and took a seat on the park bench with Sumi sitting down beside him. "Lots of people miss out cause they don't prefer to go outside, but that's their problem." He chuckled lightly and gazed at Sumi's face with the corner of his eyes. "Can I ask you something Sumi?"

She turned her head to look at him. "Yeah, go ahead."

He hesitated, not sure if it was the right question to ask. "Do... you really not remember me? Do you really not remember what happened? I don't understand how you can forget. It was a big impact on your life."

Sumi bit her lower lip, feeling guilty because she could tell he was trying to mask his uncertainty and agony, but she still saw it in his eyes. She sighed giving him an apologetic look of not being able to give him the answer he wanted to hear. "Sorry Keigo, but I don't remember anything before my mother's funeral. Just some random pieces sometimes, but it doesn't help much." She looked at the sky, interwining her fingers. "How about you... tell me how I met you? Maybe that would help me."

Keigo pursed his lips. There was silence between them. _Should I tell her? Or is it better for her to remember on her own?_ "...I'll tell you the whole story when I take you home..."

"Alright..." Sumi answered and turned to look at him. "You met my mother right? What was she like?"

He fingered his necklace and looked down at his lap. "She... was a very beautiful lady... Really worried about you though... Seemed really happy when I talked to her..."

She leaned back against the bench and rested her head to stare at the stars. "Was she nice?"

"Yeah..." Keigo reached to the back of his neck and unclasped his necklace. "She gave me this to keep me safe. It protected me and encouraged me." _To find you..._ He reached around Sumi's neck and hooked on the necklace. "You can have it, since it belonged to your mother. It'll keep you safe." He said, breathing by her ear. "I think you need it..."

Sumi looked down to see a simple star pendant with a moon crossed over. "Are you sure?" She whispered. Her eyes met his as he nodded with a soft smile and then she asked. "Do you know why Ikuto wanted to talk to me earlier?"

A smirk played on Keigo's lips and he leaned back with one arm around her shoulders. "It's pretty obvious Sumi. Everyone probably could guess why." He only saw a blank look, so he continued. "He wanted _you_ Sumi."

"What?" She made a face in response. "Why? There's nothing about me that people would want." She pulled legs up to hug her knees. _Maybe I shouldn't have brought up this question... How awkward._

Seeing her movement, Keigo pulled her closer to him to keep her warmer as he spoked by her ear. "That's what you think, but you don't know."

Sumi turned her head to give him a doubtful look and chuckled. "Sure..." Noticing how close they were, her eyes flickered back to the snow covered ground before them. "You know... Seeing snow makes me think about the time when we were stranded in that forest..." She suddenly jumped up off the bench and spun around to look at him. "I want to thank you again for taking care of me." She bowed, smiling.

He rolled his eyes at her, a slight amused grin edging his mouth upward. "No need, I didn't mind. Though you shouldn't ever be so reckless... But how's your leg anyways?"

"It's actually a lot better!" Sumi wiggled her leg around. "I'm a fast healer." She grinned.

Keigo smiled in return, seeing her in a light spirit. _I'm glad she's fine... _Then letting his instinct take over, he sprang up lightly towards her, lifting her up and spinning her around.

"Keigo!" Sumi shouted, completely caught off guard, but then she began laughing as her arms wrapped around his neck. An unfamiliar warm blissful feeling wrapped around her, making her feel giddy.

When he finally placed her down, she took a step back as he spoke. "Sorry. I always kind of wanted to do that." He was flushing, but luckily for him, it was dark, so she couldn't see.

Sumi couldn't help smiling mischieviously as she bend down. "Fine, but this is revenge." Cupping snow, she threw it at him.

_Unexpecting as always.._ Keigo's face was met with a fistful of ice cold substance and his ears echoing with Sumi's laughter. Wiping off the snow, he glared, but with a smirk that couldn't seem to disappear. He swiftly knelt to scoop up some snow, but saw that Sumi had already began running from him when he looked up. "Hey! Get back here!" He shouted and ran after her laughing as well.

-------------

"Hey Hao, are you okay?" Liz asked, examining her boyfriend's face. He looked like he was in another world with unfocused eyes.

"Huh?" He blinked. "Yeah, of course." He saw that the others were still playing a game of cards with truth or dare and he noticed Liz sitting beside him, looking distraught. A seductive smile appeared on his handsome face. What can he do? It was an automatic reflex when he's beside girls. "Is something the matter?"

Liz shook her head. "Just thought... something was bothering you." She put a hand onto his leg and scooted closer so her thigh was against his. "You know, you can talk to me right? I would understand, you know."

His arm hung loosely around her shoulders and she laid against him. Hao pressed his lips to her forehead as he reassured. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing wrong. Everything's fine so don't overthink it okay?" He lifted her chin and kissed her gently.

Liz felt herself melt and everything around her become unfocused. Everytime he talked to her and everytime he touched her, she felt like she was so vunerable to him. He was like a drug, even though she knew that he wasn't good for her, but she was in too deep to stop.

"Ugh! Get a room you guys!" Ren gagged, disgusted by the scene. "Either play, or please leave."

Hao pulled away from his dazed girlfriend and chuckled. "Don't be jealous Ren... But, we're in. Just explain the rules to us."

Ren scratched his head, frowning. "Who would be jealous of you?" He grabbed the stack of cards and began to shuffle. "HoroHoro, you explain since you made it up."

"Sure thing." HoroHoro chirped. "Okay lovebirds. Before you guys make us barf and poop out daisies, please listen up..."

* * *

Anna rubbed her face with her towel and walked out of the bathroom into her room. It was rather late because their game kept going due to HoroHoro's questions and dares. _Man... those people are annoying... but..._ She sighed and grabbed an envelope off her desk. It read 'Merry Christmas!' on the front, scrawled with her butler's handwriting. Taking it over to her window, she sat down on the frame and opened the letter. _It was rather fun..._

Opening it, a couple photos fell out into her hand. Anna stared at it curiously, flipping through the photos of everyone making the snowmen in her yard. She snickered and smiled, examining each one as she went through it a second time. Never had she expected this day to be like this. It was very unexpecting for herself to interact on such terms.

A soft rumble of motorcycle engine was heard and Anna looked at Sumi's driveway. _Looks like she came back..._ She gazed at them, half paying attention to the pictures in her hands. She was too far to hear them anyways.

----

Sumi had got off the motorcycle and pulled off the helmet with a grin. "Thanks Keigo." She said as she handed him back the helmet.

"No problem..." His eyes fell down to her pocket and saw that her cellphone decoration charm was hanging out of her pocket. He reached for it and grabbed it, pulling her cellphone of her her pocket by the charm. "What an interesting looking bell..."

"Is it?" She smiled, looking at him touching it gently. "For some reason, it is one of the few things I remember. It belonged to my grandmother, so it's special." Her hand reached for the cellphone when Keigo handed it back to her. "I'll tell you the story one day."

Keigo smirked. "Alright." He touched a lock of her hair.

"Are you going to tell me how I met you?"

He stopped and his eyes fell to the floor, dropping his hand. "Actually Sumi... I think it's better if you remember yourself... Because... Your mother's death was involved... You probably know that much right?"

"But-"

"The stuff that happened. It probably scared you... so... when you feel ready... You will remember... By yourself." Keigo watched her reaction and saw that her face fell. "Don't worry. I think sometimes it's best not to remember... But I'll tell you this. The first time I saw you, you gave me food." He chuckled lightly then quickly faded. "The second time... uh... not so good."

Sumi bit her lower lip. "But I rather remember. No matter how small or insignificant it may be, or even how sad or horrible it could be, I would like to know." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Forgetting... It's like a big missing piece of puzzle and you can't put it together because you don't have all the parts." She sighed, closing her eyes. "It's frustrating..."

Keigo placed a hand onto her cheek, caressing it softly with his thumb. "If you're worried that you won't remember, then I promise that I'll tell you what happened. However, now is not the right time because... well... it's Christmas. But if you don't remember by the end of the school year, I'll tell you."

"You swear?" Her eyes reflected back the street light when he gazed into them.

"With my heart." There was a brief pause.

Then Sumi smiled and nodded. "Okay. I got to go. Thanks for tonight." She took a turn and was about to wave goodbye, but Keigo grabbed her arm.

"Um... Merry Christmas Sumi..." He looked hesitant as if he was debating with himself.

"Merry Christmas Keigo..." She nodded her head. "Please drive home safely."

He then wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest. "Don't worry I will." He whispered into her hair. Finally releasing her, she waved and disappeared around the side of her house. His heart hummed inside his chest and he got onto his bike, turning it on and slipping on his helmet. Giving the house one last look, he sped away. _Damn... Sumi... I want to hold you like that forever..._

---

Anna watched Sumi run to the side of the house and began climbing her wall. She had saw the whole scene without being noticed and she doubted that Sumi even noticed her now. "So Sumi..."

Sumi was so close to her window, but hearing Anna's sudden voice in the quiet silent night surprised her. "Ahh!" Her heart nearly jumped out of her and she accidentally turned, letting go of her holdings on the wall.

Anna shut her eyes as Sumi tumbled back down to the bushes. She peeked her eye open, grimacing at the thought. However, she asked urgently. "Hey! Are you okay?"

"Ouch!" Sumi cried out as she pushed herself up out of the bush, waving her arm. "Yeah... I'm alright." She tested her arms and legs and found them perfectly fine. Grinning back up at Anna, she scratched her head. "You scared the crap out of me."

Anna laughed. "Sorry." She watched her neighbor start climbing again and got inside her room safely before she spoke again. "How was your night?"

Sumi leaned on her window, grinning across at her. "Alright. How about yours?"

"Fairly decent... With the exception of the things that occurred tonight." Anna's eyes gleamed back at her and without warning, she pointed accusingly at her. "You know, I still haven't forgiven you yet!"

"What?!" Sumi exclaimed. "Why?"

"Because you didn't finish what you started." Anna stated simply, eyes glaring. Remembering her humiliation only sparked back the dark side of her. "I won't accept that."

Sumi's mouth was dropped open and her shoulder's sagged as she stared across into the other window. "But... I was! It was because Ikuto-" She stopped, biting her lip, remembering her sudden fright of seeing his appearance.

Anna caught her uneasiness and sighed. "Fine... I understand... But! How about you do something for me since you didn't finish?"

Sumi scratched her head. _Why me?_ She answered hesitantly. "What do you need me to do?"

"Help me find out what Ikuto's connection is to me." Anna stated with a serious expression. She closed her eyes and rested her back against the side of the frame. "If you can't, then... please help me break off this marriage with Hao." Her dark eyes fluttered back open to see Sumi, looking at her thoughtfully. "I really want to get rid of all these problems piling up on me... If you can help me, that'll be great... but if you can't... I'm not that unreasonable... I know you have your problems as well."

"No problem Anna." Sumi crossed her arms and leaned against the window. "I'll try my best to help you out. No worries. I don't want to see you suffering..."

A smile escaped her lips. "Thanks."

"...By not being able to be with Yoh..."

Her smile disappeared and she grabbed a pen off her desk, chucking it across to her neighbor. "Sumi!"

---------------

Hao rested the back of his head onto his hands as he stared at his ceiling remembering what happened earlier. He was saying goodbye to Liz, when she hugged him and discovered the box in his pocket.

_"What is this Hao?" Liz asked, holding the small box up that had dropped onto the floor. She was eyeing it curiously, wanting to open it._

_He scratched his head. 'Damn..'. The only word that etched itself across his mind as he watched her turn the box with awe in her hands. Slipping on his usual smile, he simply said. "It's for you."_

_"Really?" Her eyes immediately brightened and she opened the small little box. Her eyes glittered as she pulled out the simple ring and slipped it onto her finger. "Oh Hao!" Throwing her arms around him again, she squealled. "Thanks! I love it!"_

_"I'm glad." He replied and watched her examine it, holding her hand to the light to see the engraved designs on the platinum ring._

He sighed. He honestly didn't feel ready to give her the ring, but since she discovered it already, there was nothing he could do about it. He sat up, resting his back against his pillow as he got comfortable. What was bothering him was that when he was watching his girlfriend's reaction, he was unconciously wondering how Sumi would have reacted to it. Hao rubbed his head frustrated. _What the hell! Why am I thinking of her?_ He grabbed her stuff animal beside him and threw it against the wall angrily. _Dammit! Get out of my head!_

It bounced against the wall and fell to the floor. Hao took a deep breath and scooted forward so he could lie back down to stare at the ceiling. _Man I'm such a jerk. Really inconsiderate. _He closed his eyes. _Yoh was right. I'm no better than Keigo... Great... I need to get away..._

-----------------

Ryo entered his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him. He locked it and entered his kitchen, flipping the light switch on. The scene before him shocked him. Everything was turned over, items and papers scattered all over in a complete mess. He growled, clenching his fist. Punching the fridge, he took a deep breath to calm himself.

Taking a step to the kitchen counter, he spotted a video tape with a note that read _For Little Ryo._ He crumpled up the piece of paper in his fist and threw it to the side. Walking to his television set, which wasn't turned over, he popped the tape into the player. The screen buzzed and then showed a clear closeup of Ikuto's face.

Ryo took a step back and frowned, crossing his arms. _Damn you Ikuto... Why won't you just leave me alone... When I say no, I mean no..._

"Why Hello Ryo! How are you doing today?" Ikuto's face grinned at him. "Well, I would just like to say Merry Christmas to you! Even though I'm disappointed that you have refused me for so long, I'm hoping that you can change your mind today... since it's Christmas!... I'm still offering you my help and a life filled with riches! It'll be a lot better than your battered up and messy apartment you have here... _And_ you won't have to slave yourself in that restaurant for money."

The camera zoomed out of his face and showed two men in the background, overturning his living room and kitchen. "Sorry that my men are trying to help you do a little remodeling though. I told them not to, but they just didn't listen." The sound of chortling echoed from Ikuto's lips as it twisted into a sinister smile. "Listen up Ryo Ishida, I know you don't want a life like this. So how much longer are you going to deny me? I know you want to get away from that life of yours therefore hurry up and make that decision... or do you need me to help you out with that as well?"

Ikuto crossed over his leg and held up a hand with a watch. He tapped the glass on his watch and smirked into the camera. "Time's ticking Ryo Ishida... or should I say... Ryo Tao..." There was a slight chuckling and then the tape ended.

_Damn you!_ Ryo picked up a can from the ground and threw it against the wall angrily. It clanked as it dropped to the floor and Ryo gritted his teeth. He had no idea how this Ikuto guy found out that he was En Tao's illegitimate son, but it was pissing him off that he was trying to make him join him. Moreover, he knows that if he does team up with Ikuto, he'll just end up being a puppet and be used.

Sure, he wants revenge on En Tao, but he didn't see why Ikuto would want to take a part of this. There was probably more to it than his simple revenge of destroying the Tao family. The Ikuto guy gives him a strange vibe and he doesn't trust him, not even for a bit.

Ryo looked around and laughed. The sound hurted his ears. _Ryo Tao..._ _Gross..._ The name disgusted him and furthermore it doesn't even fit together. He had never once used that last name and never in his life will he use it. _He never recognized me as his son and I never will acknowledged him as my father..._

Ryo slowly began picking things up, looking around bitterly. _Merry Christmas Ryo..._

* * *

Lyserg threw himself onto his bed, allowing himself to sink into the comfort of his soft mattress. He closed his eyes and relaxed. _Ah... It's nice to be on winter break..._

The phone on his desk vibrated and his eyes fluttered back open. Turning his head to look at it, he moaned. He stretched his arm out to try to grab it, but found his arm too short as he waved his arm back and forth to inch himself closer.

Finally deciding that it was not going to come closer, he retracted his arm and pushed himself up. Grabbing his phone, he found himself looking at a text message alert. _Hm..._ Opening it, he found out it was from Jeanne.

_Hi Lyserg! I just wanted to say Merry Christmas again... and I hope you liked my present... If you didn't... then you can always throw it away... I don't mind... But please take care. I'll talk to you later. :)_

_-Jeanne_

Lyserg scratched his head. He looked at the unopened present on his desk where he lefted it in the morning. He had forgottened about it and he reached for it curiously. Tearing off the wrapper, he lifted the box lid.

A chuckle escaped his mouth as he picked up its contents. "What is this?" He held up a funny shaped cookie with a strange design on it. Putting it back in, he saw that there were more with different designs, some with similar colors. Giving it a little shake, the cookies moved around in the box. Then an idea sprang up in his head and he stood up, laying out a bunch of napkins on his desk.

He began putting the cookies down on top of the napkins, matching them in the shapes and patterns. He took a step back when he finished. He couldn't help but laugh as he looked at it. The cookie was shaped out to his head and underneath it was the words 'Merry Christmas!'

_God, this doesn't look like me at all. The only thing that I can tell is me is the green hair. _His laughter faded and with a grin, he sat back down on his bed. Texting back to Jeanne, he wrote:

_Haha! Thanks for the gift Jeanne! Though I think I can do it better than you! But in any case, it's cute. I appreciate it. Take care too. Hoped you enjoyed your Xmas! :)_

_-Lyserg_

---------

Anna left the hospital holding her father by his arm, making sure he didn't trip. "Be careful Father." She opened the passenger door wide.

"Aye Anna. I can take care of myself. Don't worry." Her father said as he slowly got into her car. A couple days passed and her father was coming home so they could attend the New Year's party together. "You know Anna, there will be a lot of other companies and friends there right? So please behave yourself." Her father pleaded when she also got into the car.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Father, I'm always on my best behavior. I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm not that rash."

Mr. Kyoyama chuckled, but continued. "I know you don't like Hao and you are against this arrange marriage issue, but please, please be nice. There are going to be many people watching you guys. So-"

"Wait! What?" Anna shouted. "Are you saying that I have to pretend to be with that jerk?!?"

"Anna!"

"Sorry, sorry." Anna quickly apologized and asked again in a calmer tone. "So am I going to have to act out this fiancee situation?"

Her father gave her an apologetic look. "It was what Mrs. Asakura asked of..." Seeing Anna's unhappy face, he tried to reassure. "It won't be too bad. Think of it as acting. You can't always act with the people you like."

Anna made a disgusted face. "I-I don't have to touch him right? Or worse..." Horror clouded her face and she shivered. "I don't have to... kiss him right?"

"No! Of course not!" Her father shouted. "That! I cannot allow! No one will be kissing my baby girl." He stared at her with caution, choking out his next words. "Y-you haven't kissed anyone right?"

Anna didn't like the sudden turn of the conversation. It felt very uncomfortable talking about it with her father. Plus thinking about it, made her think of Christmas, where her and Yoh... She shivered at the thought of their lips being so close. _Ugh!_ "O-of course not!" Her words stumbled a bit as she tried to think of a way to change the subject.

"Anyways father, is there any way to break off this marriage?" Anna asked, hoping that her father might have the solution. "What if this gets out of hand?"

Mr. Kyoyama sighed. "There's not much I can do about it... It's a contract. But having the Asakuras taking care of you isn't a bad thing Anna. At least I know that you will always be safe. And that my business won't get trampled on and torn down."

"But Father..." Anna protested. "I can't even **stand** Hao Asakura! Thinking of even being his pseudo-fiancee gives me the chills. That guy disgusts me like no other. Plus! He already has a girlfriend."

"So..." Her father tried to hide his smile and spoke. "Would you prefer to be with Yoh Asakura instead?"

Anna nearly skidded off the road for a second by his comment.

"Ahh! Anna! Watch where you're going!" He shouted, holding onto the handle by the door as the car weaved back onto the road. "Ahhh!"

Once the car regained its balance, Anna took a deep breath and growled. "Don't ever... ever suggest a thing like that ever again!"

Mr. Kyoyama grabbed his chest and nodded, eyes wide. _Never speak to Anna about this when she's at the wheel..._

-------------

Liz walked into the house with her mother chirping happily with delight. Shopping bags were dropped down on the living room floor and Mary Mitsuki began pulling out the dresses she bought. "Look at this Liz. Isn't it beautiful?"

The pink-haired girl smiled at the long black glittery dress. It was really eye catching and gorgeous. "Yeah. Are you going to wear that mother?"

"Yup!" Her mother replied and asked. "Which one are you wearing? You bought a couple."

Liz pondered at the four dresses she bought. "I think I'll probably go with the red one." She finally decided pulling the red one up. "It's sexy."

"Good choice." Her mother commented, then turned towards the kitchen. "Hitomi! Can you come help us out for a bit?"

"Yes, Mrs. Mitsuki!" Hitomi, the maid, cried out and hurried over from the kitchen.

Sumi followed the maid out from the kitchen and leaned on the doorframe, holding an ice cream in her hand as she gazed curiously at her step-mother and step-sister holding up dresses. "What are those for?"

Mary turned to stare at Sumi with an absurd expression covering her face. "Don't tell me you haven't been listening during dinner! It's for the New Year's party!"

"Oooh! Right..." Sumi nodded, licking her ice cream. "I didn't know you have to dress up for it."

Mary gritted her teeth and chose to ignore her. Liz glanced at Sumi and her mother and then to her bag, she sighed. "If you don't have anything to wear, you can borrow one of these dresses."

"Huh?" Sumi blinked. Liz was being nice to her. She could see the stunned look on Hitomi's and Mary's face as well.

She flushed and frowned. "If you didn't hear me, then too bad." She humphed and picked up her red dress.

_Wow..._ Sumi grinned happily at her step-sister. "Thanks for the offer."

Liz pretended to not hear her as she pulled out red heels from another bag.

The doorbell rang and Sumi looked towards the door, smiling. "I'll get it." She looked at the back of Liz once more, feeling giddy because of her sudden kindness then walked towards the door.

Swinging the door open, she found herself facing Keigo standing at the door. As Hiro appeared behind her, she greeted. "What's up Keigo? What are you doing here?"

He smirked down at her. "Lucky me that you opened the door first." He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. "Come. My uncle wants to see you."

"Right now?" Sumi brought her ice cream to her mouth as she stared at him.

"Who's at the door Sumi?" Mary's voice echoed towards her.

Keigo quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her outside, making her drop her ice cream. "Let's go. I kind of don't want to see your step-mother right now."

"Wait! At least let me wear shoes!" She cried out, pulling back her arm.

"It's okay." He turned and scooped her off the floor, walking towards his car.

"Hold up Keigo! Put me down! Let me pick up the ice cream!" Sumi looked back to her butler.

Keigo just propped his car door open and placed her inside. "Don't be so complicated. Just let me kidnap you properly." He stood back up and shut the door. He was about to head back to the door, but he saw that her butler was already cleaning up the mess that the ice cream made. "Thanks dude."

Hiro nodded and watched Keigo got into his car as Mary rushed to the door. "Don't tell me she's leaving with him!" She cried out as the car began pulling out of the driveway. "STOP! GET BACK IN HERE SUMI MITSUKI!" Mary yelled after them, but they were already on the street, zooming away. _Damn that boy!_

* * *

Anna held onto her father's arm, watching him closely as they entered Rito Yagami's home the next day. "Be careful Father."

"I'm fine Anna. Let go of me. I can walk perfectly fine." Mr. Kyoyama pushed off Anna's hand gently and held his one crutch in the air. "And I have _this_ in case. So go." He gave her a soft smile. "Go find your friends. And remember to behave."

Anna didn't move and just stared at her father with concern.

"Fine, if you aren't going. Then I'm going." Her father stated and moved quickly forward to prove to Anna that he was well enough to not be worried about.

The blond girl watched her father make his way to the crowd of elegantly dressed people holding wine glasses. She sighed. _Hopefully Father is right... and that he'll be fine..._ Her eyes finally left him when he disappeared amongst the people, she suddenly felt self-conscious in the sparkly silver dress she was wearing. She looked around, seeing if Jeanne had arrived yet, or to spot anyone that she knew.

"Anna Kyoyama!"

Her eyes landed on the Asakura family approaching her. Somehow, they weren't the people she was looking forward to seeing. Anna forced a smile onto her face and bowed politely. "Hello Mrs. and Mr. Asakura." She flickered her eyes away from the grandparents and bowed to the parents, who were standing with Hao and Yoh. "How are you all doing today?"

"Oh, fairly well dear Anna." Kino Asakura had grabbed her hand and examining her from head to toe. "You look dazzling today. As expected of my future grand-daughter-in-law."

Anna grimaced hearing her comment, but smiled as she bowed her head. "Thank you Mrs. Asakura."

"Oh, don't be so formal Anna dear. We're practically family now, so please call me Grandmother." The little women patted a short old man standing beside her. "And you can call him Grandfather." She now took both of Anna's hands. "Oh Hao, look at how beautiful your fiancee is."

Anna met Hao's eyes and shot out an intense death look. However, it didn't seem to phase him as he smirked, playing along with his grandmother as he stated sarcastically. "Oh you're so very right Grandmother. She is so beautiful to the fact that _I _don't think I deserve her. And I'm not so sure that everyone would approve of us being together. Two very beautiful people marrying would be a crime."

"Nonsense! It is very logical. You two are perfectly matched. No one else can compare." Kino Asakura wagged a finger at her grandson, who was looking around, not paying attention. "And don't go around spouting junk about you two. I won't allow it!" She looked at Anna, smiling apologetically. "Sorry about Hao, dear. Sometimes he doesn't realize the situation and says things unaccordingly. But I believe that you two are a match made in heaven."

Anna smiled weakly. _It's going to be hard to get out of this..._ She saw Yoh watching her with a dazed look, so she just looked at Hao to see him smiling and waving to someone. She turned her head and saw that the Mitsuki family was approaching.

"Ah! Kyo! I'm glad that you made it here alright. How are things going for you?" Kino Asakura said, releasing Anna's hands to give Mr. Mitsuki her attention.

"Good! Good! Thank you Kino." He bowed to the little lady and began shaking hands. "Pleasure to see you again Yohmei. Mikihisa, glad to see that you're doing well. Keiko, hope things are going well as well." He turned to the boys gazing at them. "And wow! You two boys have sure grown more handsome, especially in suits." He chuckled. "And Anna, you look beautiful."

"Thank you Mr. Mitsuki." Anna bowed, then looked at Liz and his wife with a small nod.

"And how is the expecting mother doing?" Kino asked, taking strides towards Mary Mitsuki.

Mary was surprised by how fast she had appeared beside her, but smiled and replied. "I'm doing good thank you. And the baby is well too."

"I'm glad to hear." Kino nodded and looked at Liz, who frozed, intimidated by the little woman. "Your daughter is also very pretty."

"Ah! Thank you." Mary bowed her head a bit, pleased to hear the compliment.

"But, where is Sumi?" Kino raised an eyebrow at Mary, who looked embarassed. "I would like her to hear the announcement that we agreed upon."

"I'm sure she'll be here by that time. She just went off with her friends for a little bit." Mary replied.

Kino nodded and turned away from the woman beside her. Her eyes spotted Hao and Liz chatting together and she frowned. Before Hao could place an arm around Liz, she spoke up. "Hao, please accompany your **fiancee** and make sure she is enjoying herself. We don't want her to feel alone."

"Ah, I'm actually alright so there's no ne-" Anna quickly started, but Kino Asakura cut her off.

"No, Hao **will** accompany you and make sure you are well. You shouldn't have to even lift a finger for a drink." His grandmother said firmly and gave Hao a warning glare.

Anna swallowed at her demanding personality. She looked at Hao, who was sighing and gave Liz an apologetic look before heading towards her.

"Yes Grandmother." Hao said and gave Anna a low bow, holding out his hand. Then he said charmingly with a knowing smirk. "Hello, my dear fiancee, would you please join me to go get some appetizers?"

Anna was thrown off by his actions and stared at him, disgusted by how charming he could be. More so, she didn't want to hold his hand, but everyone was staring at her, waiting for her reaction. _Damn this..._ Anna forced a smile and curtised, taking his hand at the tip so she didn't have that much contact with him. "Sure..."

Kino looked pleased as Hao grabbed Anna's whole hand, ignoring her flinching and dragged her towards the tables on the other side.

Liz gritted her jaw and felt her heart clench at how easily Hao could change partners. An elbow went in front of her and she blinked. Then she realized that Yoh was holding his elbow towards her. Seeing him wink, she took his arm and they followed after Hao.

Yohmei leaned towards Kino, whispering. "Are you sure this is a right match? I don't think Anna even likes Hao my dear Kino."

Her eyes gleamed as she looked back at her husband. "It will work out in due time. Anna will turn out to be a great woman one day."

"I know that. But I'm just afraid that things won't go according to your plans." Yohmei said, watching Yoh and Liz disappear into the crowd as well.

"It will. Don't worry." Kino said confidently with a smile and turned towards the Mitsukis.

Yohmei shook his head, but didn't continued. Once his wife gets onto something, there was no stopping her. Hopefully things will go according to how she planned it because it would be complicated if it didn't.

--------------

"Let go of me Hao." Anna hissed, not wanting other people to hear, so she wouldn't taint their image.

"Why? It's not a big deal if I hold hands with my fiancee is it?" Hao teased as he made their way to the refreshment table.

Anna growled and stopped herself from smacking him silly. "I thought you were against this as well. Why are you cooperating with them?"

He stopped at the table and released her hand. Turning to her, he wore a serious expression, which threw Anna off by his sudden change. "Come on, you know my grandmother. The only way to get her off our backs is to do what she wants, otherwise it will go on and on until she gets it her way." He crossed his arms and rested against the table. There was a brief silence between them. "Um... I have a question... It kind of doesn't relate to any of this... So do you mind if I ask you?"

Anna gazed at his suspiciously. "No, go ahead. This is surprising though. I've never thought of Hao Asakura asking me about something before. It's kind of weird."

"Yeah huh?" Hao chuckled and paused.

Anna waited, but there was only silence as Hao looked away embarassed. "Well?... I thought you were going to ask something."

"So..." Hao wetted his lips and looked at her. "Lately... I've been... I don't know what this means, but..." He paused, his eyes flickered to the stairs.

"Yeah? Go on..." Anna stared at him, but he didn't reply so she turned to look at the stairs. Mr. Rito Yagami was preparing his microphone with Keigo and Sumi standing behind him. She turned back to Hao to see him wearing a mixture of a frown and an awed look. Her head turned back to the stairs once again and it clicked. She crossed her arms over each other and rolled her eyes. _ At least I know that he's not interested in me..._

Sumi was wearing a simple white dress, but the simpleness made her stunning. She stood out from the sea of dark colors. Anna nudged Hao, a grin playing on her lips. "So... Is that what you want to ask me about? You realized that you like her?"

Hao made a face and quickly retorted. "No, that's not it." He pushed himself off the table. "Just forget it. I'll probably solve this myself." He spotted Liz and Yoh making their way over and gestured them over.

Anna scoffed. _He's so in denial... It's as obvious as day and night... Psh... Whatever..._ Shaking her head, she joined them.

"Sorry Liz that I can't spend that much time with you tonight. I can't ruin my grandmother's image. She'll kill me later if I do." Hao apologized, gazing at his girlfriend.

Liz's sad smile surfaced and she replied. "Am I not acceptable enough for you? Does your grandmother not like me?"

"That's not it." Hao answered. "Like she said before, this arrangement was made before I met you guys. We just found out later."

"Yeah, don't blame Hao. It wasn't his decision for whatever our grandmother decides to do." Yoh explained, giving a comforting smile and heard the microphone go off.

"Welcome everybody!" Rito Yagami spoke into the mic. "Thank you all for joining me tonight in celebration of New Years and for my team for developing a new successful model! Thank you guys!" He shouted and then continued. "I have a few planned surprise events for tonight so please enjoy yourselves for the time being! Lets make this upcoming year another wonderful year!"

Everyone cheered and clapped in agreement. Hao was clapping along when he noticed his grandmother making her way to the stairs. _Oh great... What is she doing now?_ He watched her hop up the stairs and Mr. Rito Yagami leaning down to listen as she whispered in his ear. He gave Yoh a look, who shrugged in response.

Mr. Rito Yagami gave a smile and nod in return and just pulled the microphone back to his mouth. "I guess one of the surprises is going to come early because Mrs. Asakura requested to make her announcement early. So everyone give a round of applause for Mrs. Kino Asakura."

Hao and Anna gave each other a urgent look. _No way... She can't be announcing this now is she? _Anna's head cried out as she clapped weakly. _I haven't found out how to end this yet..._

"Thank you everyone! Thank you Rito. And I hope you all enjoy everything Rito had prepared for tonight. I'm looking forward to this upcoming year and there are many reasons for this." The little woman smiled. "And I would like to share some of my happiness with you all tonight. So first I would like to announce... the engagement of my grandson, Hao Asakura to Anna Kyoyama!" She held up a glass cup. "Please come up here!"

Horror struck Anna's face and she felt herself freeze up. Hao saw Anna's reaction and just grabbed her hand, tugging her towards the stairs as he placed on a charming smile.

Anna's feet followed him involuntarily and she looked at the floor, her face flushing. She could hear the murmurs within the claps as she walked past people. Soon she found herself standing beside Hao on the stairs, her eyes still on the ground. She felt Hao put an arm around her and lean in to her ear.

"Work with me here Anna. Everyone's watching you."

Anna inhaled. _Damn this..._ She gradually plastered on a smile and raised her head. She could see her father holding a glass cup to her in the crowd. Her eyes went to Liz and saw the painful sad look covering her face. Somehow, Anna felt shocked to see Liz like this. She never really noticed her pain of being with Hao. _Damn..._

"And I would also like to announce that they will be getting married once they graduate."

_What!?!_ Anna could see the surprise on both Yoh and Liz's face as well as many of the guests. She knew it showed on her face. She turned her head and saw that Hao also couldn't keep his composure as he looked at his grandmother with a bewildered expression.

More soft murmurs ran through the crowd. Kino Asakura glanced at them and indicated for them to smile.

Anna felt like her life just ended, but somehow both her and Hao continued smiling. _I need to talk to her. I didn't even hear about this!_

"There's also one more thing I would like to announce before everyone goes back to enjoying the party." The little woman smiled as the microphone nearly touched her lips. "My other grandson, Yoh Asakura would also be engaged to Sumi Mitsuki, but details on marriage has yet to be settled."

Anna saw Yoh's mouth drop down and she turned her head to look at Sumi, who was standing on the other side of Rito Yagami. In her perspective, everyone looked stunned on that end.

"Wait, I'm against that!" Keigo abruptly shouted, a hint of anger in his voice. "Who agreed on that?!?"

"Hold up Keigo, calm down." Rito Yagami placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the little old woman and bowed his head. "Please excuse my nephew. I apologize for his behavior."

A frown showed on her face. "I appreciate your apology Rito, but please do have him be more respectful towards his elders." Kino gazed at the boy standing beside Sumi, who was clenching his fist. "But other than that, I am done with my announcements."

Rito nodded, taking the microphone. "Thank you everyone for your attention. Please enjoy yourselves for the remainder of the evening." He said then turned off the microphone. He looked at the small lady. "Kino, is it okay if we all talk for a second?"

"Yes. I sense some confusion, so I think we need to sort it out." Kino Asakura said, staring at Sumi.

"Thank you. We'll go into a room downstairs. If you may follow me." Rito Yagami walked down the stairs and everyone followed him. He opened a door and entered it. Once inside and door shut, Rito looked around and saw that the entire Asakura family and Mitsuki family were both in the room. Clearing his throat, he asked. "So who would like to start?"

Sumi quickly spoke up. "What is going on?" She looked at Yoh and Hao's grandmother.

"That's simple Sumi... You are engaged to Yoh Asakura as of now." Kino Asakura stated calmly.

"Why?" She asked hastily. "I didn't agree to this. Why did this come out of nowhere?"

"Yes and why wasn't I informed of the marriage date after graduation?" Anna cried out. "You can't just tell everyone what's going on without telling us first. I can't take this."

"Neither can I." Yoh added. "Grandma, that was too sudden. When did these arrangements happen?"

"The decisions were made by all of your parents and I. You guys don't need to agree to it." Kino gazed at Sumi, who was furrowing her eyebrows.

She looked at her father. "Dad. You know I don't want this. Why did you allow this? What's going on?"

Kyo Mitsuki frowned. "You know I only want what's best for you. Your mother and I agreed that this was the best decision... for you to be around the right people."

Sumi bit her lower lip. _They don't like Keigo... I forgot..._

"Are you saying that I shouldn't be around Sumi?" Keigo spat out harshly.

Kyo scratched his head. Keigo was his friend's nephew, so it was awkward. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm jus-"

"Yes, that's exactly what we're saying." Mary Mitsuki interrupted, glaring. "You are very disrespectful, rude, and inconsiderate towards your elders. It is something I won't tolerate. So having Sumi associate with people like you will only influence her to be more like you. An improperly raised up child."

Keigo felt himself fuming. He hissed. "Am I? Well I've always known that hig-"

"He isn't." Sumi quickly interrupted and took a step in front of him, hoping that Keigo wouldn't put himself in a more dangerous place. "And I don't think that was right of you to say that Mary. You don't really know him."

Mary pointed at Sumi. "You see! You are defying me! You have no place to tell me-"

Anna, Hao, Yoh, and Liz watched them argue. Hao frowned. Though he didn't like Keigo, her step-mother was out of the line to say that to him. He also didn't like the fact that Sumi was defending him and getting yelled at for it.

"Enough!" Rito cried out, stopping their argument. He himself was angry at the woman's comment and unhappy with Kyo, but unlike his nephew, he was able to restrain and control his anger. He sighed then looked at Kino Asakura. He bowed his head. "Mrs. Asakura, I also don't think it is alright to arrange them into a marriage especially if the people getting married don't want to. I can tell that my nephew harbors feelings for your expecting grand-daughter-in-law, therefore I would like to make a selfish request and ask of you to cancel this engagement."

Kino just stared at the young man before her. She exhaled. "I admire you Rito, however, I am also a selfish grandmother. I like Sumi and I like how she isn't after our wealth unlike many others. And like Anna, she is one of those rare girls that you don't come across everyday. So I would not like to lose her to anyone. I will work things out for my family, so for a very selfish person like me, I will not ask for forgiveness from you. I will not give her up."

Anna felt her heart drop. If Kino Asakura wasn't going to give up Sumi, what were the chances of her escape? She spotted Sumi staring at Kino, looking worried. _She's probably grasping the fact that her chances of escaping are slim._

"Mrs. Asakura, I would like to ask something... Would I be acceptable?" Liz asked, knowing that she wasn't going to like what she's going to hear. "If you were to take me instead?"

Kino gazed at the girl standing forward. "Darling, I know you are not a bad person, but there are certain types of people that I accept. Girls aren't suppose to be offering themselves."

Liz shrank back, embarassed. _What does she want?_

Keigo now stood before the little old woman. "Mrs. Asakura. I apologize for being rude to you and very disrespectful, but I would not allow you to just take Sumi and marry her off without her consent."

"Oh?" The little old woman raised her eyebrow at the young man's demand. "And why should it concern you? You're not even related to her."

He faltered for a second, realizing that his outburst did seem a little strange, but a firm determined look covered his face as he took a deep breath and clearly stated. "That's because... She is a very important friend to me."

Kino stared at the boy before her, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her. She was somewhat pleased by his boldness and strong personality of pursuing what he wanted, but she wasn't ready to lose her future grand-daughter-in-law just yet. "Perhaps... but..." She dragged out her pause. "She is an important friend to Yoh as well. Certain rules have been applied and just your words hold no weight young man. The main decision makers go to the ones who raise up their children, does it not? Family and business are what is on the line right now and I'm pretty sure I made the right choices."

Keigo furrowed his eyebrows, knowing he was not going to win this no matter what he said. He had no power compared to the little old lady before him and there wasn't much he could do to change their decisions. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He was fighting in a losing battle. A hand went onto his shoulder and he turned his head slightly to spot his uncle, indicating for him to step back.

"Mrs. Asakura." Sumi bowed deeply to the old woman. "I'm sorry, but I absolutely am refusing this offer. I don't want any part in this." Standing back up straight, she stared at the old lady for a second before leaving the room.

"Sumi!" Her father called out after her, but she already shut the door behind her.

"Don't worry, Mr. Mitsuki. I'll go make sure she's okay." Hao said quickly and headed out the door.

Liz opened her mouth to protest, but Hao already disappeared. She looked to the ground, crestfallened.

Anna watched Liz and rubbed her temple. _Idiot..._ _Hao, you selfish jerk. You better notice this..._

Keigo wanted to run after Hao as well, but his uncle's grip kept him in place. He shot his uncle a look, but his uncle shook his head. Keigo bit his lower lip and sighed, staying in place.

"Grandma," Yoh called out, scratching his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm saying no to this too."

Kino shot her grandson a firm unpleased look. "That's unacceptable! You will do as I say, Yoh Asakura!"

Yoh winced hearing her shout at him and rubbed his forehead. _Grandma.... Can't we negotiate?_

"Am I still able to break off this marriage Mrs. Asakura?" Anna asked, her face showing no emotion.

Kino Asakura frowned deeper, but answered. "I keep my word. If you are able to break the contract before your marriage date, you won't have to marry my grandson. However, I don't see why you would want to do that considering the situation that you are in. Your father entrusts you to us."

_What situation?_ "What are you talking about?" Anna asked, confused. "What does this have to do with my father?"

"Perhaps you should ask him, dear Anna." Kino replied and watched Anna pursed her lips, considering her options, then darted out the door.

Yoh looked back and forth and then decided to go after Anna. Liz, feeling awkward as it is, just quietly followed Yoh outside.

"Keigo, please go set up for your performance. Remember, my friend is here to watch how you do." Rito said gently and took his hand off his nephew's shoulder.

Keigo nodded and just walked out without looking back, clearly frustrated.

Yohmei turned to Kino the second that all the kids were out of the room. "Kino, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Positive." Kino replied firmly, looking around. "Hao and Anna will be married first, then Yoh and Sumi."

"They are refusing this marriage. What are you going to do?" The little old man asked her.

"Don't worry. They will realize what they need to do later on." Kino sighed, spotting Kyo Mitsuki looking at her. "Yes?"

"Wait is this a test for your grandsons?" Kyo asked. "If it is, I don't want my daughter in any part of it. She's already unhappy with me as it is. If she gets hurt, I would feel worse."

"Kyo." Mary called out to try to stop him.

"It was your decisions to arrange her with Yoh. You can't take it back now." Kino stressed. "What has been said still stands." There was a pause. "Why are you hesitating now?"

Kyo looked off to one side. "It was... because the way she looked... She looked betrayed..."

"Can you explain to me what exactly is happening?" Rito asked, trying to grasp their conversation.

"It is how you see it Rito." Kino answered. "The children are getting married and everyone is unhappy about it."

"Then why are you forcing them to get married?" Rito asked.

"Because, things will become less complicated if there is something more complicated for them to worry about." A gleam appeared in the old woman's eye.

_Huh?_ Rito stared at the old woman. _Don't tell me she's doing this because she finds it entertaining..._

Yohmei placed a hand to his head and sighed, shaking his head.

* * *

Anna scanned the room, looking for her father as she moved quickly and swiftly through the crowd of people. _Is the family in trouble or something?_

Anna turned and collided with someone. "Oops, sorry." She quickly said and realized that it was Mika.

"Anna!" The girl before her cried out and gave Anna a warm bear hug.

_Uh...._ She stared stunned as the hold on her was release. "Hey... Mika..."

"Congratulations for your engagement to Hao." Mika cried out and began shaking her hand excitedly.

"Er. Thanks." Anna answered and scanned her face for any hidden motive behind her actions, but just saw that she was just overenthusiatic about congratulating her. "Oh, have you seen my father?"

Mika nodded. "He's over there. Being bombarded by a crowd of people." She pointed to a crowd and Anna's face fell.

There was no way she could talk to him privately with that big crowd. Anna felt herself relax and she sighed. Looking back at Mika, she saw that Mika was smiling at her. "Is there something wrong with my face?" Anna asked.

Mika shook her head. "No, no. I just wanted to say... thanks again for the other time during our winter break trip."

"Oh..." Anna smiled. "No problem."

Mika just continued smiling, which Anna felt that it was strange because never in her lifetime would she expect Mika to be thanking her. "Oh! If you're looking for Hao, he's over there."

Anna followed her finger to see Hao standing with Sumi as well as Lyserg, Jeanne, Ren, Jun, HoroHoro, Pirika, and Tamao. "Okay, thanks." Anna gave a nod and was about to walk towards them, but Mika grabbed her arm.

"Wait Anna, I have a question though." Mika stated.

Anna turned her head, pausing at where she was at. "Yeah?"

"Aren't you and Yoh... you know... And Liz and Hao together? How does that work?"

She made a face in response. "No, me and Yoh aren't together or anything. As for Hao and Liz, I don't know. But Mika," Anna paused. "Please don't say anything. We're trying to figure this out as well. Can I trust you?"

Mika nodded. "Alright. Got it."

"Thanks." Anna gave a weak grin as Mika released her arm and she continued towards the others. As she drew closer, she heard them talking about the announced setup between the four of them.

Ren was frowning with his arms crossed. "Seriously, how did your grandmother decide to set up this thing? I find it odd how it's all arranged like this."

"Yeah, I don't know how it happens, but it looks like you and Yoh always get caught up in some strange situation out of nowhere." HoroHoro said jokingly with a sympathetic look. "I have no idea what you should do."

Lyserg was the first to notice Anna walking towards them. "Oh, looks like your fiancee is here."

They all turned to glance at her as she approached. Anna sighed. "I feel like a zoo animal when all of you guys look at me like that."

"Sorry Anna." Sumi apologized, touching the hem of her dress.

Anna just wetted her lips and eyed Sumi, hestitantly. "You okay there Sumi? It was the first time I've seen you like that."

Sumi just shrugged, looking elsewhere. "It's fine. I've been through worse."

Concern showed on Hao's face, but he stayed quiet as HoroHoro asked. "Wait, did something happen?"

Ren watched Sumi's expression as she turned to face HoroHoro with a easy-going grin. "Not really, just some arguing about the whole marriage issue. That's all. Don't worry about it."

He wanted to say something, but Sumi continued. "But... other than that... Jeanne, are you doing okay?"

Ren's eyes flew to Jeanne and caught Jeanne looking up, back at Sumi. "Uhh, y-yes of course. I'm okay."

Anna frowned, agreeing with Sumi. It looked as if Jeanne was bothered by something. "Jeanne, would you like to talk?"

"Don't worry guys. I'm fine. But maybe later Anna." Jeanne stated, blushing at the sudden attention.

Lyserg eyed her wearily, aware of her lies. Though he didn't really pay her any attention before, he could tell that there were issues going on in her life. He thought back to the day where she called him early in the morning. Her eyes were puffy, so he figured she was crying the night before. Though she gave him a reason, she wasn't too good at lying well. Her facial expression reveals the truth.

Lyserg sighed and glanced at Ren, who was aware of how slick Sumi diverted the attention to Jeanne.

Anna pursed her lips as both Yoh and Liz joined them. "No, let's get this better here and now. If you can't talk here, let's go somewhere else then." She reached over and grabbed her wrist.

"But Anna-" Jeanne said as Anna began pulling her away from the group. "I-"

"Come on Jeanne."

Sumi blinked, surprised at the immediate action that Anna had started taking. Her gaze followed them as they walked a good distance away and disappeared into the crowd. _Hm..._

HoroHoro placed his hands on his head. "What's up with girls man? They create so much problems and are such drama queens."

"We are not! Guys are worse! They make things so complicated for girls. That's why girls have problems! Because it always revolves around a guy." Pirika shouted beside her brother.

"Ugh. Okay, okay. Don't get all riled up Pirika." HoroHoro grimaced, looking at Lyserg, who just shrugged.

"I will be right back guys." Yoh said and waved, dashing off somewhere without warning.

"And Yoh is always so out there." HoroHoro pointed out. "Man, I can't keep up with him."

"You tell me." Hao said in agreement. "I'm his brother and he makes me wonder sometimes."

"I like his optimism though. He's a great kid." Jun said, grinning.

Then, out of nowhere, Jun found herself spinning around. Her feet found solid ground again after a few seconds.

"I'm also a very optimistic person, my beautiful queen.~" Ryu was kneeling before a bewildered looking Jun. "Wouldn't you like to give me a chance at your heart?" He was holding onto her hand and pressed his lips to it.

"Uhhh...."

Ren was now burning beside Ryu. "Get away from my sister!" His hand met Ryu's face and pushed him flying far back away from them. Brushing his hands off, he smirked.

"Man, he sure is protective of his sister isn't he?"

Hao looked beside him to see Ryu standing there, arms crossed and shaking his head. Hao chuckled. "He is. He is very protective of those that he cares about."

Ren turned around, stunned to see Ryu beside Hao, but made no move to attack him. Instead, he just glared and stood firm, watching them. _How did he get there so fast? I underestimated him..._

"So, Anna Kyoyama is officially your fiancee huh? Do you like her?" Ryu asked Hao.

"Haha." Hao gave a small laugh. "Of course, but as a friend. I can't see myself marrying her. That would probably be Yoh's future."

"Speaking of which, how did you get dragged into this as well Sumi?" Ryu asked curiously. "But... still... congrats to you... You guys are younger than me and already planning to get married. Wow."

Sumi shrugged and gave a grim smile. "It was without our consent. But, don't worry. I will get out of this."

"You sound pretty confident." Ryu smiled.

"They can't make me do things I don't want, so I'm sure it'll be fine." Sumi said hesitantly, but with a smile.

Hao just watched her expression. _Oh Sumi... Sometimes... Grandmother can be very selfish..._

------

Sometimes, you feel everything and nothing at once. Sometimes, you find yourself smiling, while missing someone at the same time. You can absolutely love someone, and all the while still be trying to hate them. Life comes without guarantees, except that laughing will brighten your face, laughing will enhance your eyes, and falling in love will change your life.


	24. Chapter 24

--------

.: So This is How it is:.

------

"Where did you go Yoh?" Hao asked when Yoh showed back up.

A goofy smile played on his lips. "You sure you want to know?" Yoh scratched his head, watching his twin's facial expression.

Hao just raised his right eyebrow, giving Yoh a look.

Yoh shrugged and answered. "Well, I was just checking out what Keigo was doing since he was setting up some stuff." Seeing Hao's face change when Keigo's name was mentioned, he quickly asked another question. "So, where is Anna, Jeanne, and Sumi?"

"Anna and Jeanne left to talk and Sumi," Hao pointed to the buffet table, "went over there to get some drinks and snacks."

Yoh nodded and looked at the others, who were listening to their conversation. "What's up guys? Enjoying this?"

"Yeah, totally! I never really get to rest up and go out anymore, so this is a good change." Ryu grinned.

"I agree. I'm pretty bored at home. There's nothing to do." HoroHoro yawned. "At least I get to see some different faces."

"All you do is play game HoroHoro." Pirika pointed out. "Maybe you should do some of the stuff that Mom asked you to do."

HoroHoro peeked an eye open at his younger sister, staring at her. There was a short pause as he pretended to think about it. "Naahh."

Pirika sighed and looked at Ren when he began talking.

Ren gave Yoh a worried look. "So we heard you're engaged as well. Makes me think that all this marriage talk is going to give other parents ideas to engage their children now. Good thing my parents aren't here." He glanced at Jun, who gave a nod in agreement.

"And that's where you're wrong."

Ren looked behind them to see his grandfather standing there. He couldn't contain his impulsive side as he exclaimed with surprise. "What?!? Grandfather?"

Tao Ching nodded. "Hello Ren. Hello Jun."

Jun was equally as stunned. "Grandpa? Wait, does that mean that mother and... father is here?"

"That is correct." The old man nodded.

"Why are you guys here?" Ren asked. "Father never likes to come to these kind of events."

The old man nodded again. "That is true, but somehow your mother managed to convince your Father to get out and away from his work."

The surprised look still haven't left Jun's face. "When did you guys get here?"

Their grandfather closed his eyes. "We actually just got here, but they overheard some other people talking about the announcement of Hao's and Yoh's engagement, so they're looking for some suitors for both of you."

Ren paled, hearing the line that came from his grandfather's mouth and he stuttered. "S-seriously? Looking for some?"

"Well, they're not looking, just keeping an eye out for anyone that could be potentially capable to marry into the family."

Jun's eyes were scanning for her parents in the large amount of people around them. "Where are they now?"

"They headed towards the buffet table to greet some of their partnering companies, so I decided to let you two know in case you might be too surprised when you see them."

"Thanks Grandpa." Jun managed a smile. "You know us too well."

"Oh! Then I must go self-introduce myself so fate can bring me closer to my darling!" Ryu cried out happily, clasping his hands together.

Ren's grandfather glanced at Ryu, curious of his strange behavior, but decided to ignore it and turned to his grandchildren. "I shall leave you two to your friends then. I'm going to speak with the other families for the time being. Enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks again Grandfather." Jun replied and they all bowed in respect when their grandfather turned to leave.

Ryu's face couldn't surpress his smile as he cried out excitedly when the old man disappeared. "Now's my chance! To the tables!" He began to bounce towards the buffet table into the large group of people, but he was suddenly stopped by Hao's hand on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hao said as he held onto Ryu.

"Why?" Ryu cried out. "Our encounter determines my future! I'm the perfect suitor!"

Yoh scratched his head. "You don't know who you're meeting do you?"

The tall man stopped moving and crossed his arms as he nodded. "Yes I do. Ren's parents. They must look like a bigger version of Ren and an older version of Jun. Meaning..." Ryu's eyes sparkled. "She must be gorgeous!"

Hao placed a hand on his forehead and sighed. "You must not know how frightening they are then."

"Yeah, trust me. You should rather not know them. No offense Ren." HoroHoro said. "Your father is scary."

Ren remained placid. "None taken. I already know." _Talk about coincidence... He just appeared out of nowhere... Don't tell me that they actually are watching us all the time..._

Pirika just looked around at them. _Aw... Ren's father is scary? But... It shouldn't matter right?_

"At least you're grandfather is okay." Lyserg pointed out. "He was nice enough to warn you guys since you guys aren't fond of your father."

"Good thing huh? I hope I don't have to talk to him." Ren said, sighing.

"I would not judge him just yet... So..." Ryu pumped his fist into the air. "I am still going to find him and fight for our love!" He pointed at Jun, who chuckled nervously at his enthusiam.

"What love? You don't even know her..." Ren said disgustedly, but trailed off.

"What's wrong Ren?" Jun asked her younger brother, her eyes following his to see where he was looking at. Through the sea of people, she saw their parents talking to someone, but she couldn't see who it was. Finally, someone moved and her eyes discovered it to be none other than Sumi. "Uh... uh oh."

"Crap... What do we do?" Ren asked, looking at Jun.

Jun returned a concerned expression. "There's nothing we can do. They're already talking."

"You're right..." Ren watched them as Sumi bowed to them and continued chatting with a smile. _Man... I do really think you have the worse luck ever..._

Hao and the others spotted the scene as well and he spoke up. "Don't worry. She's already Yoh's fiancee so I doubt anything is going to happen. They're probably just introducing themselves."

"Well... First of all, my parents wouldn't approach someone younger than them unless there is a good reason to. And most likely it always deals with business. I doubt Sumi even knows what my family business does." Ren pointed out. "Probably the same for your parents, unless it's family friends."

There was silence for a few seconds until HoroHoro stated. "Sumi is still smiling, so it can't be that bad. Maybe they're nice to her." He then spotted Tao En lifting Sumi's chin and turning her head side to side, examining her. "Uh... He looks like he's looking at an object he's about to buy or something."

Ren sweatdropped. "No kidding..." His eyes became alert when he noticed that Ryu was bouncing over there.

"Oh crap, I wasn't watching him." Hao rubbed his face, perplexed. "What is he thinking? Did he not hear what we just said?"

"It's okay. I think he'll be fine. He seems like the person that can bounce back from negative comments." Ren said nonchalantly. _Maybe father will chase him away..._

Yoh laughed. "That's a good way to describe him... and pretty accurate too. Didn't know you were paying attention to him Ren."

"What?! I wasn't!" Ren exclaimed. He rubbed his head frustrated and said hesitantly. "Maybe I should go over there..."

Jun then let out a relieved breath of air when she saw that her parents were approached by another family and the conversation between them and Sumi ended. "Looks like it's okay now. You don't need to."

"Maybe they saw Ryu coming and they got scared..." Lyserg joked and turned his head to see Anna and Jeanne coming back along with Hao and Yoh's grandparents.

"Hi Grandma, Grandpa." Hao and Yoh greeted while the others gave a little bow with their heads in acknowledgement.

"Ah how is everyone doing here? My, my. Everyone looks so dazzling. You all sure have grown." Kino Asakura stated merrily.

Ren, still feeling tense about his parents being close by, just nodded as the others gave polite answers to the leaders of the powerful family.

There was small talk for a few minutes when an outburst made him jump.

"This song is dedicated to Anna Kyoyama!" The unexpecting line threw them all off as Ren recognized it to be Keigo's voice.

Without warning, the lights suddenly went off and there was nothing but darkness for a few seconds until the same voice rang out on the microphone.

"Ienai itami kanashimi de kizu tsuita kimi yo  
kesenai kako mo seoi atte ikou ikiru koto wo nage dasanai de!"

The lights came back on flashing for a few seconds as the music began playing. The lighting then settled to down to a dim setting where everyone was able to see where the music coming from and who was performing. Keigo's tie was pulled loose, his sleeves were roughly rolled up with his dress shirt slightly unbuttoned and no longer tucked in. Takuya just had his sleeves rolled up while Toshiro only had his tie pulled loose.

"Tsunaida kimi no te wo..."

_Huh?_ Anna was confused about what was happening. _What is this? Keigo singing?_

Yoh smiled as he watched Keigo stand on a small stage beside the stairs with the twins behind him, one on the guitar and the other on the drums. Keigo's eyes scan the large room and closed his eyes as he held the microphone.

"Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana  
usurete iku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara

hibiku boku wo yobu koe sae kare  
toki ni sou kaze ni kaki kesaretatte  
kimi wo mitsuke dasu!"

Hao spotted Keigo's eyes focused on one specific area and he turned his head, aware of where he might be staring at. Sumi was gazing towards the stage curiously as Keigo stared at her intensely as he spoke his words. _Figures..._ He clenched his fist tightly.

Liz's heart was pounding painfully. _I don't understand..._ She looked at the ring on her finger, rotating the ring around. Hao wasn't even noticing her and the song that Keigo was singing wasn't helping either.

"Ienai itami kanashimi de kizu tsuita kimi  
mou waraenai nante hito girai nante kotoba sou iwanai de  
mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara  
ima wa sono mama de ii kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru daro  
sabikitta hito no you ni"

Anna raised her eyebrows at Hao in a questioning expression, but he simply shook his head and indicated to Yoh with a tilt of his head. She turned to see Yoh smiling and waving at her and she shook her head with the corner on her lips slightly edging upward. _Stop your surprises Yoh... You're making me not as strong as I used to be...  
_

Yohmei nudged his wife, who smirked at him and nodded. However as Kino watched Keigo, she thought to herself. _I should be cautious of him... He's something else..._

Ren spotted the interaction between the two elderlys and his eyes were wide with confusion. _What? I don't get it. Don't they see the static between Yoh and Anna? They can't be that blind! If they do see it, why would they pressure Hao and Anna to get married? _Ren just crossed his arms. _I don't understand them._

"Kasanari au dake ga munashikute  
hitori de ikite ikerutte itta  
arifureta yasashisa kotobajya  
ima wa mou todokanai hodo ni kimi wa uzukidasu  
tsunai da kimi no te wa

nanigenai yasashisa wo motome  
Do you remember  
itami wo shiru koto de hito ni yasashiku nareru kara  
Drive your Life  
ienai itami kanashimi de kizu tsuita kimi  
mou waraenai nante hito girai nante kotoba sou iwanai de  
mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara  
ima wa sono mama de ii kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru daro"

HoroHoro was awed, but said exasperately. "What the! Does everyone know how to sing or something?"

Lyserg patted his friend's back. "Don't worry HoroHoro. You may suck at singing, but you play the drums great."

"Yeah, don't worry you're not the only one. Hao can't hold a tune at all." Ren pointed out.

"Hey! I just never wanted to take vocal lessons!" Hao cried out defensively as he blushed. "Wait a minute, you can't either Ren!"

Ren stuck his nose in the air. "I didn't say I can, did I?"

"But girls like guys that can sing right?" Yoh asked, looking at Pirika and Tamao, who were clinging onto each other and giggling as they blushed with their eyes on Keigo.

"Yeah! It makes them so much hotter!" Pirika cried out, but remembering that Ren couldn't sing, she continued. "But it's okay if a guy can't sing. A girl would like them for who they are; What they can and can't do."

Tamao nodded in agreement. "Nobody's perfect."

"How can I see the meaning of life  
kieteku you're the only. . .  
kowarenai you ni to hanarete iku kimi  
mou waraenai nante hito girai nante kotoba sou iwanai de  
ima wa by and by mie nakuttatte subete ni imi ga aru kara  
kesenai kako mo seoi attekou ikiru koto wo nagedasanai de"

As Sumi was listening to his voice, she felt herself get the chills. She couldn't help it, but an unfamiliar feeling was occuring more often and her heart beated more furiously everytime she saw him. Sumi took a deep breath as she pursed her lips to calm herself. _He can sing... That explains why Takuya kept talking about comparing Keigo's singing to mine the other day..._

Ryu was standing beside her also watching him. _Hmm... This boy has talent... _

"You'd better forget everything. Remember. . . your different Life?  
You'd better forget everything. Remember. . . modoranai kedo  
hizunda kioku no you na toki no naka de itsuka wakari aeru kara"

The music stopped and Keigo took a deep breath as he could hear clapping from the older generation and the younger kids cheering away. He nodded at Takuya and Toshiro, who gave him a thumbs up sign. Turning to the front, he bowed. "Thank you everyone! That was a song by Uverworld called D-tecnolife. It was dedicated to Anna Kyoyama and I hoped that she was listening to the lyrics because it holds a lot of meaning for her to hear. Please take care of yourself." Keigo smirked at Yoh. "I am Keigo and to my left is Takuya and to the right is Toshiro. We hoped that you enjoyed our performance and please enjoy the rest of the night." **(If you want to hear Uverworld- D-tecnolife: .com/watch?v=66bJaURHYY0)**

Anna tried to maintain a stoic expression as she listened to Keigo. _Hm..._ She turned when Kino Asakura placed a hand onto her shoulder.

"Who dedicated that song to you? Do you know?" Kino was smiling at her. "Was it Hao?" Her eyes flickered to her grandson, who blinked back at her.

"Oh, uh... actu-" Hao wanted to point at Yoh and say that it was him, but Yoh swung an arm around his shoulders and nodded.

"Yeah, Hao is such softie isn't he?" Yoh grinned widely. "I was surprised myself when he told me. We hoped you were listening Anna. I don't know about you, but I thought it sounded really good." Yoh was playing it off smoothly. His tone lightened. "We hope that you would tell your friends if there is anything that we can help with."

"Er... I will..." Anna replied slowly and softly. "Thanks you guys."

Kino nodded and smiled in approval. "It seems like Hao knows how to be a good fiancee, otherwise I would have to **teach** him. I wouldn't want my grandsons to be raised improperly."

Hao gulped and smiled. "Of course Grandmother. I wouldn't want to disappoint you."

"I'm glad." Kino chuckled. Her eyes went to the stage to see Keigo jumping down and make his way through the crowd. He had just simply grabbed Sumi's hand and began making his way to the exit. Her eyes widened. "Yoh! You go after **your** fiancee. Do not let him leave with her." She stated firmly.

"What?" Yoh looked towards where Sumi was and saw Keigo pulling her towards the door. "But-"

"Go Yoh." Kino Asakura commanded.

"Kino..." Yohmei put a hand on his wife's arm.

The little old lady looked at her husband. "It would look bad if Yoh's fiancee leaves with another guy wouldn't it?"

Yoh decided to run after them, finally sensing what his grandmother wanted.

Anna wetted her lips, looking after Yoh. _Their grandmother is making it so complicated. She should have just let them go and think of an excuse later. Right now, they are just making a scene..._

Yoh finally caught up to them and grabbed Sumi's other arm, stopping both of them. "Where are you guys going?" Yoh asked, looking apologetic.

Keigo glanced at Yoh. "Outside for a bit."

Yoh scratched his head with his other hand. "Uh, sorry, but I can't let you leave with my fiancee alone."

Keigo scoffed. "Don't tell me you're going along with that Yoh. What, you guys don't get to choose who you want to marry? You're going to let them control your life?"

"No, but I just need time to solve this." Yoh answered. "But for the time being, please bear with me."

"I'm sorry, but I disagree. I would not pretend to like it if I didn't. I don't like how you all have to deal with things that you don't like, and act like it's what you wanted in the first place. I don't give a damn about reputation." Keigo growled. Though he kept his voice low he could see that the everyone was watching them. On the corner of his eyes, he spotted his uncle running up, but stopping at a good distance to watch them.

Yoh frowned. "Well, you're different then. I have to deal with this for the rest of my life. You don't realize that you do care about reputation as well, because..." Yoh breathed out. "It's not only your reputation that is being affected right now, but those that care about you and those that raise you up."

"Unlike you, I would think that the ones that care about me would understand my decisions." Keigo said firmly and said. "Sumi, let's go."

"Didn't I say that I can't let you go? My head would be gone if I went back alone." Yoh sighed, holding onto Sumi's arm tightly. "I am sorry though."

"God you guys! We would be standing here forever because of you two stubborn people." Sumi pulled both her arms free from their grasps. "I'll make it easier for you both and just leave by myself." She sighed, shaking her head and walked towards the back glass doors that led to the back balcony.

Both Yoh and Keigo blinked, not expecting that to occur and just stared at each other, then looked after Sumi's decending back. They were about to sprint after her, but a chuckle was suddenly heard.

Keigo's head snapped back towards the front door, recognizing the laughter. Yoh stopped as well, sensing Keigo's anxiety rise up. He saw Ikuto standing at the door alone, laughing as he clapped. Everyone else had turned their attention on him. Murmurs began circulating through the crowd.

"Who is that?"

"Why is he laughing?"

"What a strange young man."

"He's rather handsome though."

"Why is he clapping?"

"Did he find it funny?"

Hao looked from Ikuto to the doors where Sumi disappeared to. He was about to run after her, but his grandmother grabbed his arm.

"Stay with Anna. You need to watch over your fiancee more."

Hao looked at his grandmother in surprise, who was just looking straight at Ikuto. "Do you-"

"Just stay here Hao." Kino Asakura interrupted with a grim face.

Meanwhile, Keigo hastily hissed to Yoh. "Go after her Yoh. Make sure she's okay."

Yoh nodded and just darted towards the glass doors, disappearing from their view.

Keigo relaxed a bit and frowned as he turned his full attention onto Ikuto. _What is he doing here?_

"That was an interesting scene you've caused Keigo. Though I do agree and think that wealthy people makes things so much more complicated." A small light laughter escaped his mouth. "But hey! I'm also one of those rich jerks now. Isn't it great to have power?"

Rito walked up to stand beside his nephew. "I'm sorry, but this is a closed event only."

"Ah, Rito! It's been awhile since I've seen you. I hope you've been well." Ikuto took a couple steps closer towards them.

Rito frowned, not showing much of a reaction. "I thought you promised to never appear before Keigo years ago."

Keigo looked at his uncle surprised. He had never told his uncle about Ikuto bothering him nor did he know that Rito knew who he was. _What is going on?_

"Well, promises are meant to be broken." Ikuto shrugged. "I was surprised though, that my classmate was actually that little boy's uncle. That my rival was actually meant to encounter me once again." He smirked.

Keigo gritted his teeth, furrowing his brow. Not only did Rito know who Ikuto was, but they knew each other before Rito had adopted him. _What were the chances?_ He looked at both his uncle and Ikuto. They did look around the same age.

"So what do you want here?"Rito asked, expression tight.

The man before them gave an easy going smile. "Just wanted to greet Mr. and Mrs. Asakura."

"I'm sorry, but now isn't the time for meetings. Please find them again at a different time." Rito said firmly.

Ikuto was already walking past them as he lifted his hands up. "Oh? But this isn't going to be a meeting."

Rito placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Iku-"

"It's fine Rito. As long as he makes it short and simple." Kino and Yohmei Asakura stood before the man, who was looking pleased with the results.

Ikuto raised an eyebrow at Rito, eyeing his hand on his shoulder. "The old lady said it's okay."

Rito removed his hand slowly with his brows furrowed. He noticed that a lot of the guests were also watching.

Ikuto shrugged his shoulders and then turned his attention to the old couple before him. He gave a bow towards Kino and Yohmei Asakura. A mischievious smile remained on his face as he introduced himself. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Asakura. My name is Ikuto Matsumoto."

"Pleasure. What seems to be the problem?" Yohmei asked, watching him carefully.

"Oh no problem at all. I just wanted a proper introduction between us and a chance for you to know me better. After all... you might be seeing me more often..." Ikuto grinned. "However... Rito may be right..." His eyes circled around to see all the other guests staring at him. "This may be a bad time to get aquainted with you properly. So I shall take my leave..." He bowed deeply.

Standing up straight, he winked and shouted to the crowd. "Remember my name, Ikuto Matsumoto! Happy holidays! And please... enjoy the rest of the evening!" Waving his arm, he walked towards the exit, chuckling.

Keigo looked at his uncle warily, who returned it with a concerned look when Ikuto disappeared through the front door. _Something's up..._ The crowd had began murmuring again. _That was weird..._

Kino looked at her husband with suspicion. Then she turned and looked at Hao. "Stay with Anna Hao. Don't leave her just yet because you think it's okay now."

Hao stopped himself from taking a step. _Man, she's a mind reader or something..._ He nodded and looked at Anna, who looked worried.

"Where's my father at?" Anna asked, spinning her head around.

Hao also looked around to see if he could spot him. "I'm sure he's fine. Though I don't see him."

"I'm going to go look for him." Anna said and began to move away from the group.

Hao grabbed Anna's arm. "Wait Anna, my grandmother said to wat-"

Suddenly the lights went off again and people began murmuring when it didn't go back on after a couple seconds. Rito tried to make his way to the stairs. _Shit... This wasn't planned... What's going on?_ It was too dark for him to see.

"Rito! What's happening?" He had heard his nephew cried out somewhere to his right.

"I don't know. Let me find out how to get the lights back on first!" He shouted back and pulled out his cellphone to use it as a flashlight.

Other people saw his light and also pulled out theirs. Mika slipped out her cellphone and flipped it open to see a black hooded man with his face covered dart past her. She screamed. Around her, she saw that there were more of them, shuffling around the crowd.

More screams were heard and everyone began moving and pushing their way around.

_What the hell is going on?_ Hao gripped Anna's arm tightly and pulled her closer to him. "Anna! Get down!"

"Why?" She asked, eyes darting around.

"Just do it!" One of the dark hooded man made a grab at Anna as Hao elbowed him accidently when she knelt down. _Crap! But okay... Gosh Grandma, do you have to be so good at guessing?_

"EVERYONE! STOP RUNNING!" Takuya's voice shouted into the microphone. "Calm down!"

"Come on Anna! Move!" Hao dragged Anna back up and tried to make his away away from the hooded man.

Anna stumbled, but managed to get up. However Hao stopped, causing her to pause as well. "Where's everyone else?" Anna asked, unable to grasp the situation yet.

"Can't see where they are, but I see that we're surrounded." Hao whispered back to her.

She could also see dark figures standing around them. "What do they want?" Anna's heart was pounding furiously as she saw that they were closing in on them.

"Shit..." The words slipped out of Hao's mouth as they reached towards them.

A hand grabbed Anna's other arm and Hao quickly turned to pull it off as he pulled her behind him. However, more arms reached towards her and Hao kicked at their stomach, making them fly back. Something slammed against his right shoulder, forcing him to his knee, but he still held onto Anna. _Where were the others?_ He tugged at her arm to make her tumble down beside him, avoiding the figure charging towards her.

As soon as he pulled her, he saw Ren's shadow tackling the figure. HoroHoro was on his right taking care of the one who had injured him.

Finally the lights came back on after what seemed like hours. Everyone blinked at the sudden brightness and Hao saw the figures look around, seeing that they were now surrounded. They motioned towards each other and hopped up towards wires. They ascended towards the ceiling and swung to the large window that they had opened.

"What the hell..." HoroHoro said, watching the figures dressed in black swiftly escape. "What were they trying to do? Kidnap Anna?"

Ren frowned, looking at his blue-haired friend. "Well, that was what it looked like wasn't it?" Everyone around them were all murmuring and walking around looking for their families in the crowd.

Lyserg reached down towards both Hao and Anna, who were on the ground. Anna's heart was still furiously pounding as she stood back up with Lyserg's help.

Hao exhaled in relief as he got back up. "Well, good thing they failed. Aren't you glad Anna that I was here to save you?" He smirked at her.

Anna felt her blood began to boil. _Does he have to be cocky at a time like this? I was scared shitless and confused as hell to what was happening._ "Damn it Hao, I could have protected myself without you just flinging me around like I was some rag doll!"

"Well you're welcome Anna. I'm glad that you were so thankful for my effort and expressed so much concerned about my well being too." Hao said sarcastically.

She made a face, annoyed. "Don't butt into my business Hao."

"Sorry that I didn't let you get kidnapped!" Hao snapped back. "Next time I'll just leave you alone then!"

"Let it drop Hao. She's just startled because it wasn't expected." Lyserg put a hand on Hao's shoulder.

He flinched and Anna caught his reaction. "Psh. Whatever." Hao said as he began pulling off his coat and handing it to Lyserg in a sour mood. Underneath, there was a little blood seeping through his white dress shirt and he cursed. "Shit, what did he hit me with? A jackhammer?"

Anna pursed her lips. Maybe she was a bit too harsh on him. She watched him unbutton his dress shirt feeling guilty.

Hao looked up to see Anna watching him. "What? Can't take your eyes off of me cause I'm too sexy?"

Anna struggled to control herself from exploding at him. _Why can't he just be normal?_ She took a deep breath and muttered. "Sorry."

"What?" Hao smirked, undoing the last button. "What did you say Anna? I didn't hear you."

_God! This bastard!_ Anna exhaled. "Sorry."

"Wait! Say it again!" Hao was now looking at her with amusement. "Anna Kyoyama is apologizing to me. I have to hear it again!"

Anna growled. "You freaking jerk! Cut it out! Take care of your stupid injury first!"

"Ahh! So Anna is worried about me after all!" He grinned as he pulled off his shirt to reveal his shoulder with red splotches and all blue and purple.

Anna furrowed her brow when she saw his wound, so she didn't say anything to his comment. She also managed to keep herself from blushing and maintained a nonchalant expression when his bare upper torso was exposed.

"That looks... actually pretty bad Hao." Ren said, grimacing at it.

"Seriously." Hao touched it and winced. "What the hell. I swear I didn't see any weapons."

"They had this metal thing on their arms when they were on the wires, so maybe one of the guys smacked you with it." HoroHoro suggested.

"Oh that sounds nice." Hao replied, pulling his hand away. _I probably shouldn't touch it._

"Hao! Are you okay?" Liz cried out as the girls ran up to him. _Dang, he's so hot..._

He scrached his head. "Yeah, I'm good. Don't worry Liz." He winked at her. "It's a minor thing."

Pirika and Tamao were covering their mouths, blushing at the same time as they stared at it while Jun questioned exasperated. "That's minor?!? Hao, you need medical attention, pronto!"

"Don't overexaggerate Jun. I've been through worse." Hao shook his head.

Anna took this chance to scan for Jeanne when she realized that she wasn't with them. She spotted her with her parents and concern wrapped around her. _Take care Jeanne... Be okay..._

"Hao! Why are you half naked?" Kino came walking with Yohmei, wagging her finger at Hao. "I thoug- What happened to your shoulder?!?" She exclaimed.

"Oh... It's nothing Grandma." Hao answered.

"What do you mean it's nothing?!? We're going to the hospital!"

At the same time, Mr. Kyoyama came looking urgent. "Anna! Anna! Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine Father." Anna replied, watching Hao with the corner of her eyes as he was trying to convince his grandmother not to take him to the hospital.

Her father sighed, holding her by the shoulders. "Are you sure Anna?"

"Yes." She focused back onto her father. "What's going on Father? I need you to explain to me."

There was sudden tapping on the microphone as the speakers sounded. "Hello?" Rito's voice echoed. "I hope everyone is alright. I have my men checking out the area and making sure that those suspicious characters aren't around anymore. If you happen to see them, please report to me. I have also alerted the police and they are on guard." Rito sighed. "Sorry for such an event happening on this occasion. If anyone is hurt, my butler can tend to your injuries. If there is anything that you may need, please don't hesitate to tell me. If you feel unsafe and would like to leave, you are free to do so. I wouldn't take any offense and your safety should always come first, but otherwise, please enjoy the evening. Thank you." He bowed and turned to talk to one of his men.

Mr. Kyoyama looked at Anna when his short speech was over and squeezed her shoulder. "We'll talk at home. For now, everything seems okay."

Anna frowned. "Fine..." She saw the Mitsuki family approaching.

"Liz!" Mary shouted, hugging her daughter. "I'm glad you're not hurt!"

"Ah! I'm fine Mom!" Liz said, taking her arms off of her. "Hao is though."

Kyo Mitsuki looked around. "What about Sumi? Did she come back inside yet?"

Liz shrugged, but pointed at the two approaching people running towards the group. "There she is actually."

"Are you guys okay?" Sumi asked breathlessly when she got there.

Her father nodded. "How about you?"

Sumi nodded and said as she looked at the others. "I'm fine. Yoh wouldn't let me come back in when I heard the screaming." Her eyes spotted the wound on Hao's shoulder when Yoh ran up to his brother. "Hao's hurt? What happened?"

"There were some uninvited visitors, but they ran away when the lights turned back on." Anna spoke up, watching her father head towards Mr. and Mrs. Asakura.

"What about Keigo? Is he okay?" Sumi asked.

"I haven't seen him. So I don't know." Anna raised her eyebrow. _Hmm... Keigo..._

She bit her lower lip. "I should go look for him." She was about to turn, but Mary grabbed her arm.

"No you won't young lady. That boy is trouble. He is involved with the wrong crowd, so stay away from him. We are going home." Mary said firmly.

She opened her mouth about to protest, but instead she saw Mr. and Mrs. Tao approaching them. _Uh..._

Anna was surprised and glanced at Ren, who paled along with Jun.

"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Mitsuki."

Mary turned to see the tall Chinese man and beautiful woman talking. Her mouth dropped and she nodded, releasing Sumi's arm. The man looked rather intimidating and the lady was so gorgeous that she felt so plain standing beside her.

"Yes we are." Mr. Mitsuki stuck out his hand. "Kyo Mitsuki and this is Mary Mitsuki."

"En Tao and this is Ran Tao. Pleasure to meet you." His firm hand shook Kyo's hand.

He was surprised by how powerful his grip was, but smiled. "Oh, it is an extreme pleasure to finally meet you. I hear that you aren't in Japan that often."

"Oh yes, it is rare that we come back to Japan. We just send our children for schooling here. After all, it is the school that the Asakuras sponsors." En Tao smiled. His eyes went to Liz. "Is this your daughter?"

"Yes, this is Liz." Kyo introduced and Liz bowed respectfully. He then indicated to Sumi. "And this is my other daughter Sumi."

"Ah yes, I've met Sumi." He replied as Sumi bowed. "She must be an amazing daughter. I find her very intriguing."

"I am very pleased that you do." Kyo smiled, proud.

Ran Tao brought a hand fan to cover her mouth. "Have you met our children?"

Mary shook her head and the woman looked towards the group, calling out to them. "Jun, Ren. Come here."

Both of them inhaled and made their way over. "Yes mother?" Jun asked.

Ran smiled. "Jun, Ren. This is Mr. and Mrs. Mitsuki. Please give your greetings."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Mitsuki." Jun and Ren bowed. Ren eyed his parents warily.

"Your children are very beautiful." Mary complimented.

"Why thank you. Your daughters are very pretty as well." Ran returned it.

Keigo ran up to Sumi during their conversation and asked. "Are you alright Sumi? Did anything happen outside?"

Sumi shook her head. "Nope. Everything seemed normal. Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Just glad that you're okay." Keigo smiled and looked over at Hao. "My butler is coming with the first aid kit Hao, so just give him a few seconds."

Hao nodded, giving Keigo a cautious look. _They're too friendly..._

En Tao had noticed the interaction between Sumi and Keigo and asked. "Is that young man over there your daughter's boyfriend?"

Mary quickly replied. "No no, of course not."

"That's good then, because we would like to make a suggestion. We would like to join our families through marriage." En Tao suggested and in the distance, Kino Asakura's ear twitched.

"Marriage?" Kyo asked confused. Sumi's head turned towards her parents.

"Why yes. I would like to join my son, Ren's hand to your daughter, Sumi's hand."

_You've got to be kidding me!_ Sumi's mind shouted and Ren shared the same thought. "Wait a min-"

"I will not allow that!"

They all turned their heads to see Kino Asakura darting over. "Did you not hear my announcement En? How can you make such an offer?"

En Tao began chortling in a low deep tone, then his chuckling turned into laughter booming in their ears as they stared at him in surprise. "Oh Kino, it was a joke. I originally would have made the offer, but you beat me to it. We can't have the children marrying the same girl now can we?"

Kino also began chuckling. "That was a good one."

_That wasn't funny..._ Sumi's mouth dropped and she glanced at Ren, who gave her a pained look.

"We didn't arrive in time to hear your announcement, so we heard it from the other guests." En Tao explained as the conversation continued.

Sumi felt a tug and she turned to see Keigo motioning to leave. She glanced at the parents to see that they weren't paying attention. Turning back to Keigo, she took a step.

"I hope you weren't planning to leave Sumi."

Her attention flew towards the voice to see Hao standing by her. Everyone had noticed and she shook her head. _Damn it Hao..._

Hao smirked. He saw Keigo, who was standing behind her, giving him the death glare. _Cockblocked= Success..._ He crossed his arms, eyeing Sumi. "I really don't see what's so great about you. Why is it that everyone wants you to be a part of their life? I mean I understand how great Anna is, but you barely just show-"

Kino smacked Hao's head. "Is that anyway to treat a lady Hao? What happened to the gentleman side of you?" She wagged her finger at him. "I will not tolerate you to go and speak down upon others. You will not embarass me."

Anna's eyes shrunk to dots. _Isn't it embarassing to do that?_

Meanwhile, Hao grabbed at his head, rubbing it as he saw Keigo looking smug. "Ow! Grandma! I was just playing around." He quickly took a couple steps and swung an arm across Sumi's shoulders. "Sumi and I are great friends! She knows I'm just kidding."

Sumi looked up at Hao suspiciously and saw that Kino was looking at her. She pointed at him. "He's actually a big bully."

Hao nodded in agreement, then realized what she said and shook his head urgently. However, the little old lady had pulled him by the ear, taking him away from her.

"Please don't pay any attention to Hao, little Sumi. He doesn't know what he's saying. He will owe it back up to you one day. For now, he will apologize and take care of his injury." Kino released his ear.

He rubbed his ear, looking at his grandmother, who nodded to him with a fierce look. Hao sighed and stared at Sumi, apologizing. "Sorry Sumi." A smirk rose up to his face. "I'll treat you to dinner to apologize."

"Don't worry. It's oka-"

"That's a great idea! Sumi will not recieve a bad impression on how the Asakura family does things. We take everything seriously. You must understand right Sumi?" Kino nodded, smiling at Sumi, who had no choice, but to nod back.

Hao smirked. _Nice going Grandma..._ He saw his grandmother turn to him and said in a warning tone, "Don't humiliate the Asakura family Hao. Make sure your sincerity is well presented." And he bobbed his head in return with a wide smile.

"He will contact you in the future." Kino said to Sumi, who nodded somberly. "Ah! The first aid kit is here. Please help him tend to Hao's injury Anna." Kino said nodding towards the butler, who was holding out the supplies.

"Okay." Anna replied and followed Hao.

_What the hell just happened?_ Liz was pursing her lips tightly to keep herself under control. _What is Hao doing? Is he going on a date with Sumi? How can he do this? I understand the issue with Anna, but this is not out of his control._

Mary looked at Sumi, who looked unhappy and shook her head. _This girl... She's throwing the whole higher class families out of order... Is she doing it on purpose? What is it that everyone wants about her? _

_I don't see it..._

_But she could be our ticket to infinite riches..._

_If... she doesn't go with that troublesome boy beside her, not that he isn't rich either..._

_But he's just trouble..._

Mary looked at her daughter, who looked like she wanted to cry. _I don't know what I can do for her... I can't keep telling her to cling onto Hao Asakura... It seems difficult for her and painful... _She went over and hugged her daughter. Her voice whispered in her ear. "It's okay Baby... I know life isn't fair... But you just have to fight for what you want... Sometimes things turn out the way you want it in the end."

"Mom..." Liz mumbled into her shoulder. "That's not true."

"Yes it is... It did for me didn't it?" Mary said, pulling away to give her daughter a look. "Things happen for a reason. It leads to where you would be in the future..."

Sumi was looking at Liz, seeing her sad. _Oh Liz... I'm sorry..._ Her heart also felt a bit hard to bear as she watched the scene. Turning away, she saw that her father, the Taos, the Asakuras, and now the Usuis were now conversing with each other. Mr. Kyoyama was talking to Yoh, Lyserg, and HoroHoro. Ren and Jun were just muttering amongst themselves while Pirika and Tamao were twisting their heads around to look for someone in the crowd.

"You're worrying about Liz aren't you?"

Sumi turned towards Keigo, who was wearing an expression of concern. She smiled. "Yeah, a bit. It's not that obvious is it? I don't think she likes it when I'm worried about her."

"Not that much. It's just that I can tell." He then asked curiously. "Why _do_ you worry about her? I hope this doesn't offend you or anything, but I don't think your feelings are appreciated."

She shrugged in return. "It's because we're family of course. And it's also because she's been through a lot. I don't mind that she doesn't care if I worry about her or not, as long as things work out somehow for her and she's not hurting. Her life before wasn't that great."

"Did she tell you about it?"

"No, but my dad told me." Sumi paused, unsure if she should spill out Liz's past to Keigo. "I'll make this short. Before Mary married my father, she was married to this other man. I heard that he didn't treat them well. They fought a lot and he would beat them if he didn't get his way. Eventually, he left them when he cheated on her. After that, she married my father." Sumi sighed. "I could tell that Liz was suffering when they moved in with us, but she was turning over a new leaf, so her personality was very upscaled. No one could tell such a thing occured. I mean, you wouldn't have guessed either right?"

Keigo shook his head. " I can't tell." He said softly, thinking. _So that's Liz's share of troubles..._ "Can I ask you something?"

Sumi nodded. "Sure."

"What happened to you after your mom passed away?"

There was silence between them for a few seconds. "What do you mean?"

"Like how was your life like?" Keigo asked. _I remember that she became very emotionless after she found out at the hospital..._

There was another short pause of silence before Sumi spoke again. "I could barely remember the first few months. But I remembered that doctors would visit me frequently." She smiled gently. "I'll make this short too. I saw a group of hip hop dancers sometime after and began teaching myself how to dance. After that, the doctors slowly stopped coming. My father made me take martial arts classes for self defense since I'm usually on my own. Later on, I got myself in a dance group with a couple girls. My father married Mary and they moved in with us. That's pretty much my life, cut extremely short."

"Ah I see." Keigo responded. _Martial arts?_

"What? Were you expecting something dramatic?" Sumi joked.

He shook his head. "Nope, I'm just glad that you're the way you are now."

Sumi was taken aback by his comment. "Thanks." She smiled.

He grinned and his facial expression softened as he focused on her. "I just want to tell you something before you get trapped in this world of twisted lies and get too caught up in the high class social status."

He placed a hand on her cheek, pulling her closer as he whispered. "I think you are great the way you are and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise... You're still the same as the Sumi I met years ago. I was scared that you'd change as more time passed, but I still wanted to meet you again. And I'm glad that I'm able to."

He rested his forehead against hers. "If somehow, I won't get to see or talk to you as much. I hope you know that I still care about you." A small chuckle escaped his lips.

"This was what I wanted to tell you outside, but fate wouldn't let us be alone, so I'm telling you now." His forehead left hers as the tips of their noses touched. He could tell that Sumi was blushing.

"I hope you understand what I'm trying to say... You're very important to me Sumi..." His own heart was pounding furiously as he closed the contact between them and kissed her for the first time.

En Tao rubbed his beard as he looked up to spot Sumi and Keigo talking in such close range. "Are you sure that isn't her boyfriend? They're rather too intimate to be just friends don't you think?"

Kino Asakura and Kyo Mitsuki looked over to see Keigo kissing her and both of them paled.

The clock sounded, ringing that it was midnight and Keigo leaned back, his forehead resting on hers again. "Happy New Years..."

Yoh sighed, slipping his arm between them and across Sumi's shoulder to pull them apart. "Sorry guys..."

Keigo took a step back as Yoh held onto Sumi. He scratched his head, watching them silently. Around them, other people were shouting "Happy New Years!"

"Yeah, maybe you should make you're escape while you can because Grandmother and her parents are fuming. Literally." Yoh said indicating to his outraged looking grandmother standing at the side.

Keigo sighed. _It sucks to not be accepted. _Seeing that people were watching, he decided to take his leave, but he stopped and looked back at Yoh. He asked with an amused expression. "I'm guessing I'm not allowed to do that again right?"

Yoh gave an apologetic smile. "Probably not. At least not in front of them."

"I see." He walked back towards Yoh and on the corner of his eyes, he saw her parents and Kino Asakura tense up. "Bye Sumi. I'll catch you later." He said and smirked mischieviously. Then swiftly, he pecked Yoh on the cheek, catching him completely off guard. "Since I couldn't do it personally, please pass that on to her." He turned around and waved. "Ciao."

Sumi started laughing as she stared at Yoh's stunned expression, but was soon joined in by him. On the side, everyone had their mouth dropped open in surprise by the unexpecting action and could only stare and point.

"Ack! Keigo just kissed Yoh! Gross!" HoroHoro shouted disgusted, but saw that both Yoh and Sumi were laughing. "Why in the world are they cracking up about it?"

--

Anna followed them to the stairs and sat down beside Hao, helping the butler wipe off the blood.

"So Hao, what was that about?" Anna asked, taking the alcohol pad from the butler.

Hao winced when the alcohol was pressed against his skin, but he ignored it. "What are you talking about?"

"Sumi. What else?" Anna continued cleaning it.

"Gah! Be more gentle Anna! It freaking hurts!" Hao cried out, grimacing.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Stop being a baby." However, she let up on the pressure. "So?"

Hao clenched his fist, inhaling and trying to ignore the pain. "So what?"

"You're avoiding the question Hao." Anna began blowing gently on his wound. Then taking the cream, she spread some on.

Hao exhaled, finally speaking again. "So you know how I wanted to ask you a question earlier?"

"Mmhmm..." Anna took the bandages from the butler and slowly began wrapping his shoulder.

"I guess it does relate to Sumi... But! It doesn't mean I like her..." Hao said firmly.

"Yeah huh." Anna wrapped another layer tightly across his shoulder. "Go on."

He began speaking hesitantly. "Lately... I've noticed that she has been... I don't know... occuring in my mind more often. I guess it's kind of bothering me. And I don't really now what to do."

"Occuring in your mind huh?" Anna repeated.

"Yeah. It's like she keeps popping up in my head even if I don't want her to." Hao explained. He looked at the butler, who was now putting the things away and taking his leave. "Thank you."

The butler nodded and Anna leaned forward on her knees to look at Hao in the face once he was gone. "I see, so you would do things to her because... you like her?"

"I don't like her!" Hao said exasperated.

"Um, right. But, explain to me why did you kiss her when we were on that trip." Anna raised an eyebrow.

Hao scrunched up his face, pondering. "I don't know, isn't that how I am?" He gave a lop-sided smile. "I'm just seductive. Girls like it."

_Oh man... He's hopeless..._ Anna rubbed her face beginning to get irritated. "Well Hao, you must face the truth that not all girls like it. Clearly Sumi didn't, you must have been able to tell that much."

"Why? I'm sexy." He winked at Anna. "Don't you think I'm sexy too Anna?"

_Ugh... Please refrain yourself from smacking him Anna. _She took a deep breath to calm herself. _He really is testing my patience isn't he?_ After composing herself, she frowned. "Sorry to burst your bubble Hao, but not everyone is attracted to you. Sure, you're handsome, rich, and come from a great family, but you know, that's what everyone is after. What about your personality? They deal with you because you have everything."

There was silence from him and Anna pursed her lips, watching him.

"Not saying that you have a bad personality or anything, but I'm just saying that girls like you, not because of who you are, but because of what you have. I mean, you don't really know the girls that you date that well do you? How well do they know you? I'm not judging you or anything, but I don't think that you are dating properly."

Hao raised his eyebrow with a smirk. "No wonder my grandmother likes you. You're..." He tried to find the right word. _Wonderful... but Anna would smack me... so..._ "Something else..."

"Got that right." Anna grinned.

He laughed, resting his head on the palm of his hand. "Too bad you're not interested in me. Otherwise my grandmother's plan would work out perfectly for her don't you think?"

Her grin drooped a little. "Perhaps, but I don't think it would have worked out anyhow. After all, you're not interested in me either. You just don't realize who you're interested in right now."

"I hope you're not implying Sumi." Hao grumbled.

Anna made a face. "Come on Hao. You're in such denial."

"Psh! Whatever." He paused then asked. "What about Liz? Is she dealing with me because of what I have?"

She stopped. "That... I don't know." Anna sighed. "You know that you're hurting her right?"

"Not on purpose..." Hao said quietly. "For some reason, she still dealing with me."

"What are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Go with the flow. I really don't know what to do right now."

Anna shook her head. "You're digging your grave the longer you wait. Watch you're going to regret it later. And if you don't understand what you're feeling, you're going to miss your chance."

"What are you talking about Anna?"

"Here, I want you to watch something." Anna pointed to Keigo and Sumi, standing in the distance. She could see clearly that Keigo just leaned in to kiss her and she watched Hao's expression. "So tell me. What do you feel right now?"

There was a short silence. Then he spoke up. "Honestly?" He looked away to stare at Anna.

"Yeah, honestly."

Hao scratched his forehead. "Honestly... I just feel... uncomfortable..."

She gave him a knowing look in response.

"What? That doesn't mean I have any feelings towards her or anything though. I just don't like him."

"Okay." Anna held up her hands. "You figure it out. This is all I'm saying. I don't know how you're feeling so I really can't tell you." She stood up. "Good luck to you Hao." She began walking back towards the group.

"Wait Anna! You're just going to leave as that? You're suppose to help me figure out what to do." Hao said, getting up off the stairs and running after her.

---

"Jeanne!" Her father and mother pulled her to the side, whispering harshly to her. "Do not let your cousin get close to your grandfather. We need that inheritance from him!"

Jeanne bit her lip as she stared into the urgent faces of her parents. She looked away, not answering. They didn't even ask her if she was okay.

"Jeanne!" Her mother shook her. "We need the money! We're going to be living on the streets if you don't get that inheritance from him."

She frowned. "Mother! Grandfather isn't even dying yet. He's not going to be giving away his money. And especially not to us if we're hoping for him to pass away!"

"You're aunt and uncle don't deserve it anymore than us! They're already prepared for his death and not only that! They're only scumbags leeching for money! What do they do? All they do is gamble it all away!" Her mother stated.

Jeanne made a face, whispering quietly under her breath. "And you guys are any better?"

"We invest!" Her father said forcefully. "We pay for your education! The roof you live under! The servants that serve you!"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I know, but you both spend so friviously! And you take all your financial problems out on me!" She didn't know why she was suddenly fighting back against her parents, but she was tired of it all. "Grandpa helped you out last time and I bet he refused to help you again. That's why you're asking me to get close to him right?"

"No, that's not true. We didn't ask him for money." Her mother stated as an irritated expression began forming on her face. "In fact, he's not even aware of our situation."

"What?" She rubbed her temple. "Why doesn't grandfather know?"

"It doesn't matter. What we need is for you to be his favorite grandchild so he can leave his inheritance to you." Her father said.

"But he's not even dying! It doesn't even matter!"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "You don't know the situation at the moment do you? You're grandfather has gotten sick, and he realizes he is no longer young. Therefore he is figuring out how to write his will."

"How in the world did he get sick? He was fine when I last saw him. What? Did you guys poison him or something?" She asked frustrated.

There was a short silence until her mother chuckled and said, "No, of course not."

Jeanne covered her mouth, taking a step back. She was just joking, but her mother's reaction was too real. "No. I can't believe it. How can you do that to grandfather? He's the one who was helping us through our hard times."

Her father grabbed her arm, glaring warningly. "We didn't. It wasn't us. It was your aunt and uncle. Stop overreacting. He's fine right now."

She was still shocked that her family could do such a thing to one another, just for money. "I'm disgusted by this family." She wanted to turn and leave, but her father held her tightly, pulling her back.

"Disgusted or not, we are still family and you are a part of it. So you must succeed in keeping your cousin away from your grandfather or else we're doomed. If all else fails, we have no choice but to organize a rushed marriage for you before the news gets out." Her father hissed harshly. "Understand?"

_No!_ Her head screamed out, but seeing the desperate look on her mother's face and the frightening demanding tone of her father's voice, she had no choice but to comply.

Her father took a step back, releasing her. "Go. Get close to your grandfather. I'm sure he wants your company."

Jeanne's heart was pounding furiously as she looked at her parents. _They're so horrible!_

"And don't forget to smile sweetie. If other boys see you like that, they certainly wouldn't want to date you. How would you get married then?" Her mother said indicating with her hands to bring up the ends of her mouth.

She wanted to cry out so badly right then and there, but she kept her composure._ How can they do that to me?_ She turned away quickly, wanting to leave them as soon as possible. Her pace sped up and before she knew it, she found herself running from them.

_How can they treat their daughter like that? _Her head cried out, tears threatening to fall.

_Why isn't my parents like Anna's or Lyserg's? Why don't they care about me?_

_How can they be so selfish?!?_

She managed to burst through the glass doors leading to the backyard before the tears started streaming down her cheeks. _My parents suck._ She sniffled, trying to calm down her emotions so it wasn't obvious that she cried.

Her fingers reached up and wiped the tears that were streaming out of her eyes. _Calm down Jeanne... There's a lot of people here... They can't see you like this... Don't leave a bad reputation for yourself..._

However, for some reason, her tears didn't stop flowing. She fanned herself with her hands, trying to dry them. She took a couple steps and took a deep breath. _Jeanne... You're such weak sauce..._

_I can't believe I'm crying right now... Stop... _She told herself, but her heart hurted more. _Stop... Stop please..._

"Jeanne?"

She frozed, recognizing the voice. She didn't want to turn around to face the person like this, especially in such an embarassing state. She decided to speak, but her voice accidentally cracked. "I-it's okay grandfather... I'm okay."

A sigh was heard beside her and she quickly turned her head in the opposite direction.

"You're parents Jeanne?" His voice was soft and low and Jeanne sniffled, rubbing her nose with her hand, still not looking at him.

He handed her a tissue and she took it gratefully. "Thanks."

"Don't worry Jeanne. I know what's up. I'm not that naive." Her grandfather exhaled shaking his head as he spoke slowly. "I'm growing old and my children are trying to 'off' me. The businesses I gave them are crashing due to their ignorant and stupid decisions. I'm very well aware of the situation without them telling me."

Jeanne finally turned to look at her grandfather standing beside her. "Grandfather... I-"

"It's okay Jeanne. It's not your fault." His voice suddenly seemed sullen. "I didn't teach them well. One child has been investing and pulling himself and the business more and more in debt while the other neglects his business completely, letting it fall and gambling away his assets. The only reason this company hasn't completely collapsed is because the core of the business is still alive and well. I don't know how long I can keep these two idiots from destroying everything I've built up."

She could only stay silent as she felt ashamed that her parents were a disappointment to her grandfather. She sniffed. Her tears were drying.

"I believe that it is unfair to both you and your cousin, judging that you two are the only children to both my sons." He placed a hand onto her shoulder to comfort her. "I'm sorry that you're suffering through this."

"No... It's not your fault Grandfather." Jeanne placed her hand over her grandfather's. "I understand. It's just that sometimes... I hate how unreasonable they are. I hate how selfish they are. They're making me become someone else."

"No kidding, but you're such a cry baby Jeanne. Man up and deal with it. Crying isn't going to get you anywhere." A familiar blond appeared beside her grandfather and a bleak look shadowed Jeanne's face. "But I do agree that our parents aren't very good. Sorry to say that Grandfather."

"Yes Marco. I am aware of how poorly these children of mine are, but-"

"They are still our parents. We can't just ignore them." He finished. He glanced at Jeanne. "Don't long for things that isn't meant for you Jeanne. You have to deal with whatever fate brings you... and for us, our family is our first priority at the moment. I know we aren't close and we hardly talk because of our parents, but I'm just telling you what I think."

Her grandfather placed a hand on Marco's shoulder. "You're right. We are still family despite everything. Very well said Marco."

She eyed her cousin warily, who was beaming.

"Thank you Grandfather." He gave a chuckle. "I'm hoping to change my parents. They've become so addicted to gambling that I hardly ever see them anymore." His face fell.

Her grandfather patted him in the back. "Perhaps I should have waited until they were mature enough to let them take over... Now, everything is just in shambles." He breathed heavily. "I will see what decisions to make to keep the business from falling any further." He flickered his eyes to Jeanne and Marco. "You guys should take care of each other and your families. I shall not let this be the end for our family." He smiled weakly at his grandchildren.

"Take care. I will go talk to see what plans to make." Her grandfather said and turned away, making his way back inside.

Once he disappeared, Marco turned to Jeanne. "I don't know if you were crying to get Grandfather's pity in order to get close to him or not, but I won't let you take away what is destined to be mine." He stated and continued before she could speak up. "Yes, our families suck, but what can we about it? I'm going to change it. I'm going to make it better. And I'm not going to let you stand in my way."

"I don't think you can handle the pressure and the expectations of this family." He crossed his arms. "Judging by how weak you are, you're going to let everyone stomp all over you and the business can't afford that." His mouth was set to a thin tight line. "Good thing I'm a guy and you're a girl. Grandfather would most likely give more priority to me than you."

Jeanne stared. The way he was speaking confused her. She couldn't tell if he was only going for the inheritance for his own sake or for the whole family. And it seems as if he was hinting that she was only after the money. _What is this?_ Her lips tugged down. "Marco, I don't know what you're implying, but you better not hurt Grandfather. I'm not after his money and to be honest, I don't care if my family doesn't even get a cent of it."

Marco scoffed. "I wasn't even talking about his inheritance. I was talking about the business. _That_ tells me what's on your mind." He made a face. "Plus, I wouldn't hurt Grandfather, the ones who did were you guys." He looked at her with animosity.

Surprise ran through her along with confusion. "Don't lie. I'm not going to believe you." Jeanne replied.

"Why are you making it sound as if we are the bad guys? My parents told me that your parents poisoned Grandfather." He snorted when he saw her expression. "Don't pretend to be innocent. What? Did your parents tell you otherwise?"

Jeanne's heart shuddered. _Did my parents lie to me?_ She wouldn't be surprised, but what was she suppose to do in this situation? She looked back at him. he was frowning at her and his eyes burned with much dislike. "I'm not going to believe you. You're lying."

His jaw tightened. "Stop it. I'm not."

"You are. You're parents are lying to you." The words just slipped out of her mouth. In a way, she was telling it more to herself. She could feel her eyes burning again. She took a step back.

Irritation sparked on his face. "They didn't! They wouldn't lie to me. Stop it. Yours did."

Jeanne couldn't hold it in as she felt her eyes overflow with tears. The words hurted her. "How could they? Why would they lie to me?"

He was taken aback by her reaction. "I don't know, but stop it. You're making it seem as if I hurted you." He took a step towards her.

She took another step back, shaking her head. "Go away. Leave me alone."

"Jeanne. You're telling me to leave you alone like this?" He reached out and grabbed her elbow.

She tried to push his hand off. "Let go of me. I just need to be alone. I don't want your pity or comfort. Go away."

"Jeanne-"

Lyserg shoved the blond away from Jeanne. "She said go away, so please leave her alone." He stood in front of him, eyes flashing.

Marco gave outraged laugh and thumbed his nose once he regained his footing. "You've got to be kidding me." He pointed at Lyserg as he gazed at Jeanne. "You've got the sole Diethel heir protecting you? How'd you do that?"

"I will ask again for you to _leave_." Lyserg emphasized.

He held up his palms up as if surrendering, taking steps back. "Okay okay. I will. But I'd say stay away from her if I were you." He rolled his eyes. "I was trying to be nice to her and she totally made me seem as if I was some bad person that had hurted her. Tells me a lot about how she is." He scorned and turned away.

Lyserg watched the blond disappear from his sight before he turned to Jeanne. "Are you okay?"

Jeanne had turned her face away from him. "I'm fine." She answered, embarassed that she was caught crying.

There was pause before he asked. "Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No... It's okay..."

Another brief silence occured. "Uh, who was that guy?"

Jeanne exhaled, finally turning her head to him. "My cousin..." She smiled. "Don't worry about it. Just some family stuff happening."

"Oh..." Lyserg looked forward. "Is there anything I can help with?"

A sad smile covered her face. "Thank you Lyserg for worrying about me. It makes me really happy, but please don't worry too much. I don't want you to get caught up in my troubles." She touched his arm lightly.

"Jeanne-"

"Lyserg." She interrupted. "I'm sorry for making you go through so much with me..." She said slowly. "But I don't want to hurt you... so I think..." The words were having a hard time coming out of her mouth. "... Things are going to get worse for me and... I... don't... want to drag you down with me..."

His eyes showed confusion. "What do you mean? If things are getting worse, don't you want me to help?"

"No." She replied hastily. "I don't want you to get involved." Her eyes were big as she stared up at him. "Sorry Lyserg for bothering you from the beginning."

She took a deep breath as her heart twisted itself even more. She whispered. "What I'm trying to say is... Goodbye..."

Her voice was barely audible as he gazed down at her, not comprehending at the sudden decision she made. "Wha-"

"It's for the best..." Her eyes were burning again. "Sorry." She whispered and letting go unexpectantly, she ran quickly, disappearing back inside.

"Jeanne!" Lyserg cried out, but she wasn't stopping nor did she turn around. He pursed his lips, thinking as he watched her vanish inside. _What's going on? _

_I'm going to find out..._

-------------------

This quote helps me get by and makes me extremely sad... Cause well.... It's reality:

"You think you're not pretty. There's always someone uglier. You want more money. People are in poverty. You want a boyfriend. Someone doesn't even have parents. You're hungry. A child is starving. You want to go to the mall. Someone is looking for anything they can wear just to stay warm. You're chilly. Others are frozen. You just want to die. Most people want to live. So don't waste your time on things you think you want because there is always someone out there who needs it much more than you can possibly ever know."


End file.
